Old Knees

My knees some days feel like they are 60 years old. Playing basketball and other sports for essentially your entire life can have some lasting impacts on your body. Athletes today have a lot more knowledge available to them about taking care of their bodies. I played through injuries, didn’t take rehab as seriously as I should have, and now it shows in my knees, shoulders, and ankles. As you age you really start to notice all the previous bumps and bruises. As a coach now I really try to make sure athletes know that taking care of injuries is important. Sometimes you have to make decisions for the athletes that protects them. Many athletes will want to push through to show their toughness or to make sure they don’t lose playing time. Athletes need to feel safe to take care of themselves without the threat of repurcussions from a coach. Professional athletes make decisions that are in their best interest we should allow college athletes to do the same. Life is a journey and sitting out for a short time to heal is ultimately better for the long run than always pushing through injuries.