Bring your mental game to injury recovery

I'm injured. There. I said it. I've been mumbling and fumbling about with butt and hip pain for eight weeks. Jogging hurts. Driving long distances hurts. Sitting for too long sends sharp pain. Sciatica symptoms brought my stubborn self to an orthopedic doc last June, who recommended a month of physical therapy for a disc issue or piriformis syndrome. I didn't go.

Instead, I Googled both conditions like crazy. Read, read, read. Tried rest from jogging, rolling my rear on a tennis ball, new piriformis stretches. No more sciatica, the pain has moved locations a bit, but it's nagging enough to wake me up sometimes. The endorphins couldn't hide my hip pain while jogging a few days ago. So yesterday I told my husband I was driving over to my physical therapist to see if they'd accept a nearly two-month-old, ragged-looking prescription from my ortho.

I say "my physical therapist" from the heart. I spent nearly four months rehabbing from a blown achilles last summer with a team of incredibly competent P.T.s with a matching bedside manner. After my surprise visit to their office, we screamed and hugged like a bunch of sorority girls returning to campus after a summer lifeguarding at our respective municipal pools. It's all settled -- time to hit the campus bars together -- I go in for an assessment on Monday morning.

According to this helpful article on coping with a sports injury, understanding your injury and the subsequent rehabilitation process is a critical first mental step to lessen anxiety and provide a greater sense of control. If you're feeling stuck with an injury, bring your mental game to your doc's office to help maintain a positive, informed approach to recovery.