No matter the sport or type of player, athletes run the risk of suffering an injury every time they compete. Injuries, though, are a part of the game and in no way uncommon. Athletes who suffer minor injuries, such as muscle tightness or a sprained ankle, know the drill: take a few weeks to recover and return to their respective sport as they were before. However, more intense injuries, such as a muscle tear or a shattered bone, can force athletes into intense rehab programs, holding them out of action indefinitely. For plenty of athletes, this time away from the game they have dedicated themselves to can prove as painful as the injury itself. The road to recovery undoubtedly requires a certain amount of physical strength, but for many passionate athletes that find themselves tied helplessly to the sidelines, a return also calls for a strong mentality.
Senior Madison Flanagan has dedicated her life to dancing since she was three years old; she began dancing competitively at eight, participating in ballet, contemporary, hip hop, jazz, ballroom, breaking, acro and other technique strengthening classes. In March, doctors diagnosed Flanagan, who has endured her fair share of injuries over the years, with Os Trigonum Syndrome after she noticed constant pain in her ankle while she danced. According to certified orthopedic surgeon Jonathan Cluett, Os Trigonum, which is an extra bone near one’s ankle joint, is found in only 5-15% of people, most of whom can live with the extra bone. In Flanagan’s case, though, the syndrome was difficult to ignore.
“It’s a common problem that wouldn’t affect most ‘normal’ people,” Flanagan said. “But in dance, I obviously use my feet more often and in different ways than most people.”
As a result, her doctor determined that Flanagan would require surgery, taking her away from dance until she recovered.
“I remember crying with my mom, dance friends and dance directors over how scared I was for my future,” she said. “I thought I would be missing my last year dancing with my competitive team and I was heartbroken.”
Flanagan has been on the path to recovery since her surgery in April, although there were times where she felt like she wasn’t. Routine trips to the kitchen “physically drained” her, hurting her “emotional and mental state a lot.”
“It’s just really hard physically not being able to do the one thing that has had a huge impact on your life for a really long time, especially because I use it as kind of an outlet,” she said. “I genuinely felt like my healing process would never end. I’m nowhere near the end, but I’m much closer to being healthy than I was yesterday; and that’s what I try to remind myself of when I’m upset.”
Despite the setbacks she faced early on, though, with the constant support from her family and friends, Flanagan continues to fight to return to her passion and remain on track to resume dancing in late October.
“It’s my last year in competitive company and dancing at Heritage, so I don’t want to waste any opportunity,” she said. “I just want to make the most of my senior year.”
Junior football and basketball star Dallas Turner, a four star recruit according to 247Sports, had to fight back from a severe injury he suffered in a preseason football game last year during his sophomore season. In the game, Turner’s teammate missed a tackle, diving directly into Turner’s leg. Initially, Turner thought he had broken his leg, but soon discovered he had torn his ACL. Though he knew he had an uphill climb ahead of him in order to return to form, Turner was confident he would be able to make the recovery.
“I didn’t have any fear about not coming back all full,” he said. “I just rehabbed everyday and made the best out of a bad situation.”
His eagerness to return to the field resulted in him working harder to reach his goal. Eventually, Turner successfully made his return to the football field this past May, where he has enjoyed a dominant season at defensive end.
Although Turner overcame the injury, he faced some mental setbacks along his physical rehab process, revealing that the return to peak form is both a physical and mental climb.
“Mentally, there’s going to be days where you feel like you don’t want to do this anymore,” he said, “but seeing my teammates play and watching and studying both sports (football and basketball) made me want to come back better than I was before.”
