Racing and riding with pain
Unfortunately, injuries and pain are common occurrences within the sport of ATV racing and driving. Dealing with these issues can be challenging, especially when deciding whether to keep running or let your body heal and rest. Many of the professional cyclists have no choice but to get back out there and compete to maintain or improve their current ranking. But there comes a time when you have to consider whether or not you are doing more damage that can affect you for the rest of your life.
To make the right decision, I suggest you use a medical professional to diagnose what type of injury and pain you are treating. Make sure you fully understand your injury by asking as many questions as possible. Write down any questions that come to mind before you walk into the doctor’s office, sometimes hearing all that medical jargon can be overwhelming and it’s easy to forget important questions. Don’t be afraid to get a second opinion, especially if you feel like your questions have been vaguely answered and you still don’t fully understand the injury or its outcome. No doctor will tell you that it’s okay to run with an injury, but at least you can understand the severity of that particular injury and decide if you’re willing to take the risk of making the condition worse.
Some injuries may require physical therapy, make sure you choose a physical therapist who is familiar with our sport and has worked with athletes before. Using a professional who understands the physical demands our bodies go through during racing will ensure that the therapy provided prepares your body for future racing. I am fortunate to have a physical therapist, Dr. Morgan Johnson, on staff at my center and he has also competed in several mountain bike races and is an avid motorcyclist. His knowledge and understanding of ATV racing has helped many of Moto Pro Training’s riders overcome injuries and continue to compete without missing a race. Together Morgan and I evaluated a cyclist’s condition and developed a proactive formula that will speed the recovery process and strengthen the injured area.
Recently, MPT’s Bill Balance suffered a serious rib cage injury, one that would have put most racers out of the game, ending his racing season. Using techniques to help reduce inflammation, relax musculature, increase blood flow, reduce pain and provide support to the affected area, Bill was not only able to compete, but secured his ninth GNCC Championship. To Bill’s credit, it also takes a great deal of mental strength to overcome an injury like this, but this kind of mental strength is exactly why he has continued to dominate cross country racing for so many years.
If you have a new or recurring injury, here are several suggestions to help you through the recovery process. As stated above, consult a medical professional and gain an understanding of the problem. If possible, rest and recover the injured area until conditions improve. Be proactive to help speed recovery. Reduce swelling by using ice/heat packs. Soak sore and sore muscles in Epsom salt baths. Visit a massage therapist who is familiar with athletes and injuries. Massage will help eliminate muscle tension, increase blood flow, and reduce inflammation. Use prescription medications or over-the-counter pain relievers to help control pain and aid relaxation for recovery. Provide your body with good quality nutrients to supply the building blocks needed to rebuild and repair the injured area.
High-quality protein and water are the two most important nutrients for promoting healing within the body. Visualize healing within your body. Your brain is the strongest organ in your body, use it to help with self-healing, a technique that has been practiced for thousands of years. My mom has survived three episodes of cancer, each time she was given a certain time frame for life, through her beliefs in self-healing and traditional medical practices, she is alive and well today.
Once you have felt some relief, find a qualified fitness professional to develop a program to strengthen and build your body. A well-conditioned body will recover from injuries much faster than one that is out of shape. This year I had to overcome one of the biggest obstacles of my life. I had been dealing with severe lower back pain that eventually caused me to lose feeling in my left leg down to my toes. I took the time to see three different doctors, all of whom are familiar with athletes and the importance of being physically active. My diagnosis was that I had a large bony growth on the L5 vertebra that was putting pressure on my nerves and causing severe swelling and inflammation. The only option I had was surgery!
This scared me for many reasons, the first and most important was my spine and the second is that my whole life revolves around physical activity. So, with great hesitation, I chose the doctor I felt most comfortable with and went under the knife. I was told I would look for a 12 week recovery period, but since I was already in excellent shape, my recovery was much quicker. I had surgery on May 7, 2008, and when summer break was over, I ran my first post-surgery race at Snowshoe. While I feel like I’m not 100% physically yet, I’m very happy to be on my quad challenging myself both mentally and physically.