Sports Then and Now

Living your dreams after a serious injury sometimes seems impossible. However, with the right professional help, support system, and attitude, you can fulfill your goals, even after an accident changes everything. All you have to do is remember that when it comes to things like this you are never alone. Here are 4 other tips to help you keep living out your dreams.

Seek Medical Help

One of the main steps in moving on with life after an injury is to seek medical help immediately after the incident occurs. This is imperative to assess the physical damages you have sustained, as well as to preserve evidence for any future criminal charges or lawsuits. Once a treatment plan is in place, it is important to follow through with all of your appointments, even during times you do not feel like it. If you find yourself not caring about getting better or feeling helpless about the situation, it may be time to seek additional professional help.

Get Psychological Help

Though your physical injuries may be obvious, many victims do not realize the impact a traumatic event can have on your mental status. The NCAA states that a “psychological response to injury can trigger or unmask serious mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, disordered eating, and substance use or abuse.” Talk to a psychologist about your feelings, and discuss any changes you or others have noticed in your personality.

Secure Legal Counsel

As Otorowski Johnston Morrow & Golden P.L.L.C puts it on its website “a large error might cause long-lasting or even permanent injury to you or a loved one. When that large error stems from someone’s carelessness, you deserve fair compensation.” You may face large reoccurring medical bills, lose current and future wages, as well as pay other expenses to get back on track after a serious trauma. Plus, the pain and suffering you have to face on a daily basis while you are healing also need to be taken into consideration.

Be Prepared for Change

An article in The Denver Post features Dr. Mike Boninger, director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Rehabilitation Institute, discussing various injury cases where attitude has played a large part in the recovery process. He “points to studies that have shown patients who enter surgery with a positive attitude tend to have less pain afterward and recover more quickly.”

No matter what type of traumatic event you face, you need to find a support team to stand by your side through whatever comes. You can still live your dreams after a serious injury, they just may need to be reworked a little to fit the circumstances.