Athlete's place immense strain and pressure on their bodies day-in-and-day-out. They push their bodies beyond their limit and it is no surprise that this pressure can result in injury. However, do you often wonder how an athlete is able to push back and recover fast? We talk to some of our NuroKor ambassadors about their greatest challenges in injury and rehabilitation and how they recovered.
We asked Team GB Bobsleigh member, Olly Butterworth, and GB skier, Charlie Guest a few questions about injury and recovery.
Have you had any injuries and how have you dealt with them?
Olly: My biggest injury of all time was my hip flexor during 400m training. With a promising season coming up in track it was devastating, it took me 9 months to come back from and mentally to feel confident about a year. Since then, I’ve been very fortunate. Learning about sensible training and how to look after my body better and to listen to it.
Charlie: My back injury has been the one that has affected me for the longest. It took me a long time to get to the bottom of the problem, but now I have a whole bunch of exercises, along with my NuroKor device to help keep everything moving. So as soon as I start to get a bit of pain and a few niggles, I know that I can sort it within a few days.
Olly: Yeah, my latest injury was a hamstring issue pre 2-man World Champs. This was a huge blow but my focus had to turn to 4-man World Champs the week after. Through the help of physio’s and NuroKor, I was able to get it sorted. The ability to use NuroKor day and night, anywhere was key to getting me back ready to go.
How did you stay motivated during rehab?
Charlie: I never really had any doubt in my mind that I would get back to racing, but there were certainly times, into the 4th and 5th year of problems that I began to struggle.
What always kept me going was the end goal, I want to be on an Olympic podium, and compete for TeamGB so that always kept everything moving forwards for me.
Olly: My longest rehab was 9 months after my hip flexor injury. This was hard, I had to watch my track and field teammates go off and achieve the things I wanted whilst I was stuck on the sideline. The fact that there is no guarantee you will be back to 100% is quite a scary thing for an athlete, however as an athlete mentally you’re ready to face any challenge.
This drive and determination that allows you to achieve is also the same drive and determination that carries you through some of the hardest setbacks.
Injury is a side effect many professional athletes face on a daily basis. The most important thing anyone can do is focus on rehabilitation, and get into a good pre and post workout recovery routine.
Recovery is paramount to an athlete's success, it can help there body and keep it ready for more. For more athlete tips on recovery, view our article; Top 5 Recovery Tips You Should Be Applying Post-Workout
