How to Help Your Baller Recover from an Injury By Robyn Floyd

Do you know what to do if you were Baller were injured? For starters, help your baller learn as much as possible about the cause, treatment and how to prevent the injury from happening again. If your Baller does not fully understand the type of injury they have it can lead to fear or anxiety.

Get your Baller to ask the following questions of their doctor, trainer, coach or therapist until you know exactly what you can do to heal quickly and fully. Depending on where you two are in the relationship, maybe you can ask for him.

• What type of injury do I have?
• How long will recovery take?
• What is the purpose of the treatments I am receiving?
• What should I expect during rehab?
• What alternative workouts can I safely do?
• What are the warning signs that I am getting worse?

Accept Responsibility for Your Injury

This is not to say that the injury is your Baller’s fault. Calm down, what this means is that you accept that now you have an injury and you are the only one that can fully determine your outcome. By taking responsibility for your recovery process, you will find a greater sense of control and will quickly progress in recovery, rather than dwelling on the past or blaming the injury on an outside factor.

Maintain a Positive Attitude

To heal quickly your Baller needs to commit to overcoming the injury by showing up for treatments, working hard, and listening and doing what the doctor and/or athletic trainer recommend. You also need to monitor what your Baller is thinking and saying to regarding the injury and the rehab process. Self-talk is important. Are your Baller’s thoughts negative and self-defeating? To get the most out of daily rehab, your Baller needs to work hard and maintain a positive attitude. Remain focused on what your Baller needs to do. Help your Baller by talking in a positive way, helping them to know getting over an injury takes time.

Use the Mind to Heal the Body

Growing research shows that it may be possible to speed up the healing process by using specific mental skills and techniques such as imagery and self-hypnosis. Imagery techniques use all of the senses to create mental images, feelings and sensations related to a desired outcome as though it is happening now or has already happened. I am a witness that meditation never hurt anybody!

Get Support

A common response from your Baller after an injury is to become isolated from teammates, coaches, and friends. It is important to maintain contact with others as you recover from your injury. Teammates, friends and coaches can listen when your Baller needs to vent some anger, or can offer advice or encouragement during the rehab process. Just knowing your Baller doesn’t have to face the injury alone can also be a tremendous comfort. So, go to practice; remain around the locker room and the weight room. Be visible by being an active member of the group. Sometimes, your Baller needs to get out of the house too.

Set Appropriate Goals

Just because your Baller is injured doesn’t mean you stop planning or setting goals. Rather than viewing the injury as a crisis, help your Baller make it another training challenge. The goals will now focus on recovery rather than performance. This will help keep you motivated. By monitoring goals your Baller will also be able to notice small improvements in the rehab of your injury. Your Baller will feel more confident that you are getting better and improving. Who knows, your Baller may thank you in a special kind of way for helping them through the recovery process! Remember to work closely with your therapist or doctor. They can help you set realistic goals that are in line with each stage of your rehab. Most athletes have a tendency to try to speed-up the recovery by doing too much too soon. It is important to accept that you are injured and know your limits.

Maintain Your Fitness While Injured

Ok, so this headline is self-explanatory. No one wants a flabby, out of shape Baller. Help your Baller stay fit during their time out of the limelight. You want your Baller’s return to be seamless. Depending upon the type of injury your Baller has, they may be able to modify the training or add alternate forms of training to maintain cardiovascular conditioning or strength. Your Baller should work with a trainer, therapist or physician to establish a good alternative workout program. If your Baller can’t run, perhaps they can cycle or swim. Work on relaxation training and flexibility. Create a modified strength training program, do a limited amount of exercise to maintain cardiovascular fitness or focus on better nutritional health. By taking things slow, setting realistic goals and maintaining a positive, focused approach most athletes can overcome minor injuries quickly and major injuries in time. Make sure you see your doctor for a proper diagnosis and treatment plan for any injury.