When practicing a sport, some injuries and setbacks inevitably happen, and for an individual that a huge part of their life centers on training, their health, safety and lifestyle are affected by a major challenge.

 

Hockey is a sport based on contact. When learning the basics, athletes are also taught how to develop resistance and determination in the face of the harm that the games can cause. The consequences can go from something as simple as a scratch to something more delicate, which will make athletes take some time off from the game to fully recover.

 

Ella Howard, a women's hockey player, shares her experience with this topic: "I had a hip condition called FAI for several years, which over time led to a labral tear and grade 4 chondromalacia." Ella grew up practicing kickboxing and goalie, two very demanding sports in the hip zone, so the harm increased due to repeated movements and stress. The FAI was diagnosed, but the damage caused by it was not determined until the moment that Ella needed surgery.

 

After an intervention, the recovery process is the toughest part of all. For Ella, who had always been an active person, it was extremely challenging to be still and not to get rid of that part of her routine that demanded her to be active; this somehow also took part of her identity: "It forced me to rediscover who I am away from the rink, which, although challenging, isn't a bad thing at all." 

 

Through a clear mindset and by celebrating her goals in the same way she would on the ice, she maintained her motivation throughout her entire recovery. With a "champion" consistency, doing the things over and over again, the process eventually transformed into a foundation for success.

 

Currently, Ella is in the final stage of recovery and is expected to make a comeback seven months after the operation. Trying to get back to the routine she used to have, skating constantly and regaining the muscle memory she had.  Ella is also working on playing instinctively, trusting her instincts in hockey becomes vital in a lot of circumstances: "the final phase of my rehab is about facing as many different shots and scenarios as possible, so I won't need to second-guess."

 

This process taught her that patience and resilience carry a huge importance in facing setbacks: "I've had to learn to remain disciplined and have faith in long-term benefits that are often invisible."  Biking from day one after the medical intervention, doing isometric exercises four times a day, and formal physiotherapy became part of Ella's routine. Now her recovery goal centers on going back to the ice from gentle skating to full reactive gameplay.

 

Ella adds a recommendation for all the athletes that are gone through an injury: "Do your rehab! Even the boring or seemingly insignificant add up. Skipping exercise will only keep you sidelined for longer." She also mentions that it is useful to document as much as possible. Recording training in the gym and on the ice helped her gather information for her physiotherapist to have a clear view of where Ella was in her recovery journey, gaining motivation and empowering herself at the same time, reminding herself that Bodily awareness is a weapon, and it is highly recommended to use it.