By BROCK BEARDEN/Contributor
Collegiate athletes are concerned about suffering sport injuries and that injuries can have an extreme impact on their performance and mental health.
“I have had lots of injuries over the course of my college career,” said Cade Conway, a senior outfielder on the UT Tyler baseball team. “My most recent was having two ribs come out of place and straining my oblique. To recover, I mainly just give it rest and stretch after putting them back into place.”
Conway is among athletes who work to prevent injuries.
“As I have gotten older, I have had to take more precautions regarding injury prevention,” he said. “I have to spend more time with prehab and rehab to be able to stay healthy.”
Communication between players, trainers and coaches is key to effectively managing injuries and maintaining a player’s long-term health.
“Trainers and coaches play a huge role in helping me recover and stay healthy,” Conway said. “We all have to be in constant communication about how I am feeling, so we can know what steps to take and how much I need to push it that day.”
Conway is not the only baseball player who has dealt with injuries.
“I’ve had plenty of injuries in my baseball career, including hamstring pulls, a broken wrist and a broken back,” said junior infielder Spencer Simpson. “For a pulled muscle, the most common treatment was using stem therapy and massages to relax the muscle. The broken wrist simply needed rest, then building up strength through grip exercises.”
Hear Cade Conway talk about dealing with sports injuries.
THE TOLL OF INJURIES
Sixty-three percent of college athletes report playing with an injury and 40% report they have hidden an injury from a coach, according to findings released this year from Gitnux, an independent research platform that analyzes data.
Fifty-five percent of college athletes reported playing through pain, the researchers found.
Injuries can take a toll on both the physical and mental aspects of an athlete’s life. Simpson plays baseball with a permanently fractured L5 vertebra in his spine.
“It definitely affects me physically and mentally,” he said. “When my back hurts or I don’t prepare correctly, my range of motion is limited. It’s frustrating not always being able to perform at my best.”
Simpson prepares “to the best extent possible” to be in top form.
“That includes sleep, hydration, eating lots of healthy food, along with extensive stretching and prep work,” he said.
Senior outfielder Ryan Walker is grappling with the long-term effects of severe injuries. In January, Walker suffered a fractured left patella and a deep laceration requiring months of recovery.
“I was in physical therapy for six months post-injury and am still trying to gain strength back,” Walker said. “I only have about 60% single-leg strength back after 10 months, and I was told it may never be 100%.”
MINIMIZING INJURY RISK
Walker relies on specific fitness routines to minimize injury risk and build resilience.
“Off the field, I try my best to work hard in the weight room and training room to enhance stability and durability all over,” he said. “I expose my body to end ranges of motion and push it to adapt to new stimuli so that when that stimulus occurs in the game, it isn’t the first time my body has experienced it.”
Despite the toll of his injuries, Walker avoids dwelling on the risks while competing.
“I don’t worry about injury while playing,” he said. “Playing scared is a recipe for failure. However, when something similar to how my injury occurred happens, I definitely become more cautious. I was injured running into a wall, so any balls near the wall take an extra level of focus.”
Senior pitcher Miles Clack has managed to avoid injuries through prevention strategies.
“I have learned the limits of what my body can take, and I push them to make my body stronger to avoid injury, but I make sure not to exceed my limits,” Clack said. “Some key factors are sleeping well, warming up well and listening to your body.”
After seeing the difficult nature of injury recovery from Conway, Simpson and Walker, Clack is more driven than ever to prevent being injured.
“Recovering from an injury is tough, and it’s something I never want to go through, so I will do everything I can to prevent it,” he said. “Physically, injuries obviously affect performance negatively because it’s hard to come back 100% in all aspects.”
Clack said athletes cannot let recovering from injuries distract them.
“Mentally, we can’t let our injuries affect us too much and instead focus on the good community around us that holds us accountable and leads us in the right direction,” he said.
Other findings from Gitnux:
- Ankle sprains account for 15% of all injuries in college sports
- 25% of college athletes experience overuse injuries
- Knee injuries make up 14.9% of all injuries in college sports
- 20% of college athletes report symptoms of overtraining syndrome
- Hamstring strains account for 6% of all injuries in college sports
- 30% of college athletes experience chronic injuries
- Stress fractures make up 10% of all overuse injuries in college sports
- 35% of college athletes report symptoms of burnout
