The Comeback Trail: Out of the long shadow of injury

"I used to be a semi-accomplished middle distance runner in my early teens before countless injuries shut down my running career before it barely started. Now at 22, I can’t think about racing without my stomach sinking. I haven’t raced in five years, opting to sit on the couch instead of embarrassing myself on the trail.

As Frances Flint, an athletic therapist and psychology of injury specialist at York University in Toronto, points out, a major injury is no minor problem to young athletes, especially when the sport takes over their schedules. Flint says it doesn’t matter how good you are — losing an important part of your everyday life can bring some unwelcome feelings.

“It’s hard to get back after a significant injury,” she says. “It dictates your life and once that is gone, everything changes. It can be a challenge to get back into that running pattern.”

I don’t remember much of my childhood except for practice, intervals, eating and races. That said, I was no prodigy. Colleges weren’t kicking down my door, begging me to sign. But after I found out I had a stress fracture in my femur when I was only 17, I felt like I had no reason to be proud of myself. I gave up so much for training, and ended up on crutches. I was kicking myself. Flint was not surprised by my initial reaction.

“Stress fractures are worse than a major injury. If you’re running and you trip and fall and break your leg, you recover,” she says. “With a stress fracture you say, ‘I caused this. I don’t want to work hard again,’ out of fear.”"

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"It can happen to any runner. But there are solutions to restoring confidence on the track. Flint suggests visiting an athletic therapist, especially if you’re feeling nervous about running after an injury. There are pool workouts for people with stress fractures and related injuries who need to take the pressure off their lower body. Therapists can also help with planning and finding an achievable goal for return."

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