Athletic Ability and Injury

RE: Athletic Ability and Injury

Former Member — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 14:06:01 GMT

I'm certainly not injury-prone, but I can be very accident-prone at times. I've slipped and almost fallen on the pool deck countless times, and I still can't walk normally in flip-flops. The worst is I have biked straight into brick columns - twice! Both times I was biking rather slowly. The first time I swerved into a column on my right and scraped up my left knuckles pretty bad (don't ask how left hand got to the column on the right), and the second time my front tire went straight into the column, but I fortunately avoided injury, except for a small bruise.

RE: Athletic Ability and Injury

Former Member — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 13:23:23 GMT

This reminds me of President Ford (I'm showing my age). He was probably the most athletic President we ever had, but was constantly ridiculed for being a klutz: hitting a bystander when golfing, falling while snow skiing, etc. At least he was out there enjoying life. I presume most of the posters here fit that category. I remember falling off my bike at a dead stop (new clipless peddles and I forgot to adjust the tension). I felt really stupid, but at least I was on my bike and not my couch!:groovy:

RE: Athletic Ability and Injury

The Fortress — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 12:00:50 GMT

Peter...bad shoes equal flip-flops year round and slip on shoes that didnt' fit tight. I also think I'm the only person in the world you can fall off flip-flops and roll my ankle. I must just be accident prone. From a fashion stand point...it depends on the shoe, the occasion, current trends, the outfit...lots of differnt factors go into it. My husband reminds me on at least a bi-weekly basis what a clutz I am. Mini-Fort the swimmer has likewise inherited the mega clutz gene. I am a professional ankle twister. I use flip flops year round and heels. (Peter: short and flat heels are not good, fashion-wise, and running shoes are only good for running and the gym). I am especially good at falling down stairs and tripping over things. I'm a good wall crasher too, with too much stuff floating around in my head. I tend to be oblivious to the real world on occasion. I have injured myself as a competitive masters athlete, despite being athletic and strong by nature and genetics. Once I compete, my bad. I overdo, as Peter has scolded me for. I only took up swimming after decades of desertion because of two stress fractures from excessive running. Then I promptly overdid swimming without preparing my shoulders. Now, as some have mentioned, I'm a bit smarter and more cunning about training and preventative measures. And I have temporarily at least overcome an addiction to engine building, which right now my body can't sustain. It is difficult to resist though! So I listen to my body a bit more. I rest more or cross-train or use fins to avoid endless kicking. But I do tend to fight tooth and nail to fix things and I do not accept conventional cures or wisdom. Which is why I'm a science experiment at the moment. Yes, me and the other Washington Redskins patients doing prolo. My prolo doc loves me because I am an "educated" patient willing to work at my cure. You will have injuries your whole life. (I do think competitive athletes are more prone to these from pushing themselves.) If not ill-timed injuries, something else will be sure to interfere. There is no solution but to tackle it head on and try to fix it with as much ingenuity, tenacity and Mindfulness as you can. It's either that or be a couch potato. Ugh.

RE: Athletic Ability and Injury

FlyQueen — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 09:46:00 GMT

At the beginning of every bike ride I've done (and by ride I mean a huge group ride/charity thing) people are falling at the start because of clip peddals. I fall down all the time, trip, lose my balance, etc. Fell flat on my ass in college right in front of "hot bio boy" well walking to get food ... yeah, I'm cool like that. Back in the running days I'd wipe out on average once every 6 months or so ... sometimes I'd escape injury free, sometimes I was all skinned up, sometimes I'd be limping home ...

RE: Athletic Ability and Injury

swimmieAvsFan — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 08:30:04 GMT

I also think I'm the only person in the world you can fall off flip-flops and roll my ankle. nope! there's at least two of us, cause i've definitely done that a time or two. and i gather fort has done the same thing too. so i guess that makes at least three. ;) and i'd like to respectfully disagree with your mom- you're getting hurt because you are an athlete. the only people who don't get hurt occasionally are couch potatoes. at least IMO.

RE: Athletic Ability and Injury

Former Member — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 15:09:13 GMT

RE: Athletic Ability and Injury

Former Member — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 12:31:15 GMT

Kyra- please define 'bad' shoes, from both a health and a fashion perspective...

RE: Athletic Ability and Injury

Former Member — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 12:06:53 GMT

Kyra, So, what color collar will you be wearing at Nationals?!? So I can pick you out easier! Any special treats you like- Milk Bones, Beggin' Strips, Pig Earz? :p Truthfully though. I do remember having a tough time adjusting to my height. I went from about 5'4"-5"6 in 7th grade. My feet also went from 8-9 1/2. My last stop growing was when I was 18- I grew about 1/2 inch. I'm 5'8" now and I guess I'm beginning the process of getting shorter... sigh. hahaha! That actually might have been a cause of my falling...plus I can tend to be clumsy....and flip-flops and ice is not a good mix...or just bad shoes in general.

RE: Athletic Ability and Injury

Former Member — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 11:51:11 GMT

I have a slightly different take on this one. I'm very clumsy on land. But in the water I have never hurt myself. So, I'm hypothesizing that my people evolved from the sea creatures (the ones with the duck feet). Land is not my normal medium. I try to limit myself to things that don't interfere with my swimming but that's because I'm 65 and can hear the Grim Reaper scratching around outside. There are limited years left when I can do what I really want to and I don't want anything to get in the way. I'm careful in the weight room: among my athlete friends more have been injured here than anywhere else. I'm very careful on my mountain bike: I don't race anymore and I stay away from technical rides. The main point is to provide myself with a tough workout without providing any additional danger. I don't ski as recklessly as I used to: since I gave up XC ski racing, there is no point to doing downhills that are too technical. After all, the best fitness I have all year is the result of skiing uphill. At any age, you choose your poison. As you grow older you just focus on what is really important to you. -- mel

RE: Athletic Ability and Injury

Former Member — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 11:39:39 GMT

Also Kyra, a lot of young people your age are a bit like puppies, still growing into their adult bodies. I trust the falling down is caused as you remember a particularly amusing post from the forums, as you fall down laughing...

RE: Athletic Ability and Injury

Former Member — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 09:53:41 GMT

So the question I pose, is how athletic do you think you are and how often do you get hurt? Do you think you get hurt less because you are an athlete? Do you think you would get hurt less if you were more athletic? Being athletic will certainly reduce the severity of the injury compared to an untrained person for the exact same accident. But athletic abilities cannot offset carelessness or recklessness. An athlete bombing down a trail on a snowboard with insufficient technique or protective gears is more likely to have an accident than a non-athlete who observes proper discipline. Learning how to fall and wearing a bump pad in snowboarding make a whole world of difference. As for swimming, all of you know (much better than I) the tricks to reduce the risks of injury. I think of good swimming techniques, stretching and dryland exercises. And may be more that I would appreciate to learn if you have some to share. Other than that, if you still get hurt then this is just bad luck. Or could that be a sub-conscious stuff? I recall a cousin who used to be so unfortunate because of his permanent clumsiness. He attracted attention and laughs all the time. One day he dropped the flashlight of my camera, I was a student and could not afford to replace it. I told him I got fed up with his ridiculous clumsiness and asked him never to touch any of my equipment. Something had clicked, because since then he paid more attention to the jobs at hands and became incidentally less clumsy.

RE: Athletic Ability and Injury

funkyfish — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 09:16:22 GMT

I think an argument can also be made from the standpoint that if you are athletic, you tend to push yourself more, take more risks, etc. and as a result, have the potential for more injuries. The trick for me was to learn how to calculate risks…be it with stunts, swimming faster/harder in certain sets, lifting more weight, whatever. I've found that the older I get, the more I listen to my body, and am a little more mindful of preventative measures than I was when I was 20. Now here's a banana to slip on. :banana:

RE: Athletic Ability and Injury

rtodd — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 09:01:37 GMT

Athletes get hurt more than non athletes....alot more, and more severely. Especially contact sports. As far ass swimming goes, many times, the one who excels is the one who can train without injury, or trains correctly through an injury. I'm guessing you were tired when you had a shoulder problem in the fly? Sometimes you gotta know when to dump it. Your body usually gives you one warning....an instability, wobble, whatever, you gotta listen to it, especially in practice, know what it is, and adjust accordingly.

RE: Athletic Ability and Injury

Former Member — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 08:34:07 GMT

I personally suffer from what I call the "Gerald Ford Syndrome." I am known to trip and fall fairly regularly. It's not bad if I have jeans on, but when I've got a suit on outside of the courthouse - yikes!!!! I also fall down the stairs fairly regularly, the last time resulted in a sprained thumb and a big knot on my head. ouch! I tend to fall a lot too....my mom was getting scared I had a brain tumor I fell so much. :laugh2: Thanks everyone for the responses. Its nice to know I"m not the only one... :D

RE: Athletic Ability and Injury

Former Member — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 08:20:12 GMT

Kyra, you are what we call in the legal world "an egg-shell head." You are just more prone to injury then others. That does NOT mean you are not an athlete, because you ARE. Not only are you an ATHLETE, but you are also a competitor and these are all things you should be very proud of. I personally suffer from what I call the "Gerald Ford Syndrome." I am known to trip and fall fairly regularly. It's not bad if I have jeans on, but when I've got a suit on outside of the courthouse - yikes!!!! I also fall down the stairs fairly regularly, the last time resulted in a sprained thumb and a big knot on my head. ouch!

RE: Athletic Ability and Injury

Karen Duggan — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 07:58:30 GMT

RE: Athletic Ability and Injury

Former Member — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 07:57:50 GMT

Great thread Kyra. I think it depends on how you define athlete. The OED defines athlete as "a competetor in the physical exercise of...." and "one who by specialtraining and exercise has acquired great physical strength; one whose profession is to exhibit feats of strength & activity..." It also defines Athletic as "pertaining to an athlete" (go figure!). Personally, I believe those to be flawed, as they speak of physical strength and not of flexability, endurance, or skill. One can be an athlete, IMO, without posessing a great deal of physical strength, but rather, having physical skill, a strong will, and desire to achieve. Additionally, anyone can suffer injury. Even professional athletes suffer season ending, or career ending injuries, and they are highly skilled, highly trained, and worked out by professional trainers and coaches. My husband threw out his back this weekend, but he wasn't doing anything stressful. He is not an athlete, but he does workout at the gym regularly. I threw my back out going down a waterslide, and I am (IMO) an athlete. Are you more likely to get hurt if you jump into training (for any sport) without the proper technique and conditioning, yes, but not absolutely. It's also possible that a triatlete that trains every day could break an ankle in a neighborhood softball game. Accidents and injuries happen. Steps can be taken to minimze them (stretching, gradulay increasing training, focusing on technique, etc), but I wouldn't say you're a non-athlete just because you happen to get hurt. Maybe you just go at things too hard, too fast.

RE: Athletic Ability and Injury

Former Member — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 07:16:07 GMT

I remember my dad always yelling at me for getting hurt doing "rinky-dink" things when I should have been concentrating on the sport/season at hand. May be so, but looking back; I'd rather have the memories and experiences that come from trying new things and stretching the limits than sitting safely at home and aging gracefully. Unless you are risking a scholarship (meaning your education) or your profession; I say live life every day. You are an athlete as long as you are athletic!!

RE: Athletic Ability and Injury

Karen Duggan — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 04:54:34 GMT

Skip, I had to find a way to avoid walls. I just hooked up the stretchcordz to the starting block and did the workout with everybody else (I had my own lane, though). For example, I know my stroke counts, so if we were doing 50s I would take 28 strokes and then stop, while everybody else came into the wall. I usually finished first because I didn't have walls to deal with!!! If I were feeling feisty I'd add a few more strokes (extra credit!). It was great because I could do everything but *** and turns. I did this for about 4 weeks. Worked out great for backstroke!

RE: Athletic Ability and Injury

smontanaro — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 04:32:42 GMT

I wore stretchcordz every day to practice ... How did you use stretchcords at practice (in the water I presume)? Thx, Skip

RE: Athletic Ability and Injury

FlyQueen — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 04:19:30 GMT

In all honesty gymnasts tend to be the biggest clutzes I know ... back in the day I used to trip over bar tensions almost daily ... I sprained my ankle walking to beam (tripping over a mat) ... if injuries were related to athleticism you'd never hear of top athletes getting injured ... have fun, live life with no regrets!

RE: Athletic Ability and Injury

Karen Duggan — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 04:14:20 GMT

Kyra, I am SOOOO clumsy! Don't even worry about it. I cannot even tell you how many totally STUPID ways I've hurt myself: getting off the chairlift (knee), waterskiing (falling down), playing in a pool (neck injury when someone fell on me), biking no hands = big owies and water on the knee, getting pushed over a barbed wire fence on a swing and shredding my back, just getting out of the pool tweaked my back once, motorcycle crash (into a hill!) burned leg, cheap shotted by a friend's police dog (bite to the leg), and the list goes on. Some of those things were, as you say, preventable, but I learned a lot of important lessons, too. The best lesson being, since this is a swimming thread, that when I hurt my knee, I couldn't do breaststroke for awhile. I wore stretchcordz every day to practice and did all free and back. And in 1997, Federal Way, I did two lifetime bests in the 100 and 200 back! You just gotta look for the silver lining... ;)