Written by: Dennis Meszler, PT, SCS, CMTPT
American Tennis Player, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, posted an emotional video about her injury at the second-round Wimbledon match on Thursday, July 8, 2017. Â Read our Sports Physical Therapist, Dennis Meszler, reaction to the injury:
“All that work!  All that time!  All that effort!…. Down the drain”   How can one not think like that after such a devastating injury?  A psychologist would probably start talking about all those mental stages we go through after traumatic or stressful situations arise.  Anger, denial, acceptance… etc, etc.  I am not a psychologist ( but I do have two teenage daughters!  So maybe I’m more qualified than I think) but after dealing with high level athletes for as long as I have I know one of the next stages to quickly come down the pike for her is going to be the ” I’LL BE BACK!” phase.
That is where we come in. I am blessed to work in a performance physical therapy facility for Raleigh Orthopaedic.  I, as a Sports Physical Therapist, work along side another therapist, an Athletic Trainer and a Performance/Strength and Conditioning Coach as a team whose goal is to return high performing clients like this back to their pre-injury levels- at a minimum. Along the way we challenge ourselves on trying to identify the issues that led to the injury in the first place, eliminate those issues, and therefore, return the athlete back to an even better, more efficient performance level.
This one hits a bit close to home because we have a close working relationship with the Cary Tennis Park.  We get a chance to work with many young athletes hoping to develop to this level. I’m sure many of them are aware of this situation and we will work to make sure they understand there are steps they can take to try to minimize the chances of this ever happening but, god forbid, if it does happen, there is a road back.
We are lucky enough to have a team of world-renowned orthopaedic surgeons here at Raleigh Orthopaedics that will repair the injured area in order to allow the first on that road to recovery to happen. Yes, those steps will most likely be very short, slow and with the assistance of crutches but they will happen. Then, it won’t be long before that athlete is asking me; ” what is the maximum time someone has ever held that position,  or what is the fastest time someone has ever done the 5 mile bike thing in.”  It is that type of drive that got them to where they were, and it is that type of drive that will get them back there. It is a fun thing to be part of and it is infectious to those around it.
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