Injuries

[goldentoe]

The "The Day the Game Stopped" thread got me wondering. For any of you with kids that are dealing with injuries, I wish you speedy recovery.
Has your player or their teammates had to deal with any serious injuries?
Why does it seem to be happening more now?

• Is it because of changing bodies?
• Is it because of "overuse"? - IE Playing and practicing year round with 80 games a year being "normal"?
• Is it because they are playing more physical? There were physical teams at younger ages or teams had 1 or 2 kids that played physical. Now you are seeing more players using their bodies. And some kids have hit a growth spurt, while others haven't.
• Is it because coaches are expecting kids to do more? I know a team that just moved to 2 hour practices from 90 minutes. Many coaches expect kids to be doing conditioning outside of practice.
• Is it because parents (or coaches) are pushing kids to play if they are slightly dinged up? (You don't want to lose your spot on the team. We are spending this money, you better get on the field).
• Is it because of nutrition?
• I think it's probably a combination of all of the above and some bad luck.

Hey Timbuck, I will share a little bit about my daughter's story with you. I believe that body changes have a lot to do with it, and I believe that luck plays an enormous role. My daughter grew up playing the game in a fearless fashion, putting her body in harms way often. It finally caught up with her when she broke her collarbone. And while she had many bumps and bruises, and even a broken finger along the way, the following injuries actually caused her to miss time on the field.

Major Injuries: 1. Broken collarbone - 12-16 week recovery. Fully broken in half, no surgery required to repair. It happened right before the Region 4 finals. 2. Torn Right ACL/Meniscus early freshman year of high school. Missed 9 months recovering. 3. Torn Left ACL/Meniscus early sophomore year. Missed 9 months recovering. 4. Quad/Hip/Hamstring/groin soreness - Limited ability to return, missed 2015 ECNL finals.

I am glad to say that today she is healthy and feeling great. Her orthopedic has speculated that her ACL tears may have been the result of genetics. She was born with the wrong ones, and now has the right ones. He thought maybe the original parts weren't the proper fit. Sounds good to her parents, so we're going with that. I can't really put a finger on what happened. Both injuries were non-contact. She's always trained hard, but rested well. She has always been aware of her diet, and her sleep habits are amazing. After the first ACL tear we employed a personal trainer who has become an enormous part of her life. He has brought her back to the field twice, and brought out of her a mental and physical strength that has changed her life. I think maybe she was supposed to go through this, it's made her who she is. I have had the pleasure of meeting up with Madcow and his daughter on a few occasions. I get the feeling they were chosen to travel their path because they had the strength to do it. They are inspiring.

We've found there are so many mental, social, and team dynamic issues that can result from major injury. Too many to list here. We never consulted with one, but a sports psychologist, or some sort of professional may be helpful to someone going through it.

Good luck, and Good Health to everyone this upcoming season!