Pain and Injury in Sport

In this blog I will be viewing the social issues of pain and injury in sport through a coaching perspective. Through my engagement in sport I have seen and experienced many injuries and symptoms of pain as an athlete and as a coach. In the social figuration within sport playing through pain and injury is glorified and the risk of potentially putting your body in pain has become normalized (Nixon II, 1994).  As a former player being a part of the sport figuration you accept the risks of playing and would do anything no matter how much pain your body felt to continue to play. This notion of “shake it off” has become the most important part of the sport’s culture, where toughness, aggression, and bravery is most valued (Beaver, 2013) However now as a coach it is important to know when an athlete is in pain and or is injured.  Pain can be perceived as an unpleasant sensory and emotional sensation (Killick, Davenport, & Baker, 2012).  As for injury can be described as the physical damage to the body caused by mechanical stress (Killick, Davenport, & Baker, 2012).  In the sports figuration not everyone experiences the same pain when injured.  Also there are many different ways an athlete can experience pain from their injury which can be through physical pain, mental pain and emotional pain.  No matter what type of pain or injury an athlete may experience those moments shape their identities and no matter what hurts them they still strive to be that “real athlete”.  However as a coach it is important to understand the difference between pain and injury to help protect the well being of the athlete.  In some cases, when coaching it is hard to determine when an athlete is truly injured and or experiencing pain due to the normalization of pain and injury.

In 2013, fullback Derek Sheely football player from Frostburg State University was know for smashing through the drills without complaint in which he then developed a reputation among his teammates for not going down (Fenno, 2013). Sheely’s drive to play through the pain would soon cause him to lose his life. During practice Sheely was participating in a drill that simulated a fullback blocking a linebacker, however the fullback position would run as hard as possible to tackle the defenseless/ non-moving linebacker (Fenno, 2013). It was this drill that eventually left Sheely to sustain a fatal head injury leaving him unconscious (Fenno, 2013). The rest of the week Sheely complained about his head aching in which, he was told by coach Schumacher to shake it off, stop being a pussy and to continue playing (Fenno, 2013). Six days later, Derek Sheely died from “brain herniation, an acute subdural hematoma and massive vascular engorgement”(Fenno, 2013).

When first reading about this incident it was not surprising that Sheely had sustained a concussion injury. However, what did come to a surprise was the lack of concern from the coaches and supporting staff to examine this injury and allowing Sheely to continue to participate in practice. Because Sheely’s injury did not show any visible damage to the body, and only symptoms of a head ache the coaches and supporting staff attitudes towards Sheely’s injury reinforced the rhetoric of what it means to be a real athlete.  Hence, to let something like a headache or slight dizziness interfere with playing in this case was not acceptable which is probably a reason why a number of concussions have never been reported (Beaver, 2013).  It is alarming to know that 15.8 percent of football players who sustain a concussion severe enough to lose consciousness return to play the same day (Clearedtoplay.org, 2013). This culture within coaching is not surprising within the football environment which is scary because now youth football coaches have developed the win at all costs attitude and the safety and well-being of the athlete comes second.

 As a former soccer player and now coach, I understand the pressures the sport ethic places on athletes. When working with youth athletes I try to instill that it is important to take care of the body because you only have one. It is still difficult to determine if my players are injured or in pain however, no matter the issue I always try to make sure that they are okay and try to determine the severity of the injury before they begin to engage in practice. I try to make sure I stay aware of the athlete’s body movement and expression while playing if the athlete has previously complained about being in pain.  And if I see that the athlete is having a difficult time participating due to the injury there is no sense in pushing through the pain if the athlete can injury themselves more.

References:

Beaver, W. (2013). Future of Football. Springer Science + Business Media. New York.

Clearedtoplay.org,  (2013). Concussions By the Numbers. Available:

http://www.clearedtoplay.org/concussion-information/concussions-by-the-numbers Retrieved 13th April, 2014.

Fenno, N. (2013) The Washington Times. Available: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/aug/22/death-frostburg-state-player-derek-sheely-due-egre/?page=all Retrieved  13^th April, 2014.

Killick, L., Davenport, T., & Baker, J. (2012). Pain and Injury in Sporting Cultures of Risk. Managing Sport: Social and Cultural Perspectives, 128.

Nixon II, H.  (1994). Coaches’ Views of Risk, Pain, and Injury in Sport with Special Reference to Gender Differences. Sociology of Sport Journal.