Wednesday

Overcoming Injury




For anyone participating in sports or pursuing an active lifestyle injuries are inevitable. Whether you are an elite level professional athlete or a middle-aged weekend warrior, it is likely you have dealt with injuries, and if you continue to remain active you will certainly deal with many more. Fortunately, there are very few injuries that cannot be overcome with a positive attitude and a little determination. All too often people succumb to what are relatively minor injuries and resign themselves to sedentary lifestyles. Injuries are no fun and some are much more serious than others, but they are very rarely permanent. If you are plagued with chronic back pain, a broken bone, or torn ligaments there are steps you can take to completely rehabilitate yourself and safely continue participating in the activities that keep you healthy and happy. The human body is incredibly resilient and every day people defy the odds to overcome serious injury. So before you throw in the towel and give up something you enjoy due to injury, let’s take a look at a few real life examples of people overcoming injury.

Frank Mir
In June of 2004 Frank Mir was sitting atop the mixed martial arts world. At only 25 years old, Mir had just defeated Tim Sylvia to earn the UFC Heavyweight belt. His future in MMA was looking bright. However, just 4 months after winning the belt things took an unexpected turn. Mir was involved in a terrible motorcycle accident that shattered his leg in two places and tore every ligament in his knee. The injuries required multiple major surgeries, and everyone, including Mir himself, was left wondering if would ever step foot in the UFC octagon again. Nearly a year later, and still unable to compete, Mir was stripped of his belt by the UFC. Fortunately, Frank Mir did not give up, and after a tortuous 17 months of rehabilitation he finally returned to the UFC. Although he struggled in his first few comeback fights, Mir has recently reestablished himself as one of the top heavyweights in the world. On May 26th he will be fighting Junior Dos Santos for the UFC Heavyweight belt.

Kaka 
Kaka is widely recognized as one of the greatest football players in the world today. He played on the 2002 World Cup winning Brazilian national team, and was awarded the prestigious Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year in 2007. Yet, when Kaka was 18 years old he suffered a severe spinal injury that threatened to not only end his athletic career but completely paralyze him. The doctors told the 18 year old Kaka to be grateful he was not fully paralyzed and except that he would probably never play football at a high level again. Kaka ignored the doctors and in what has been described as nothing short of a “miracle” made a full recovery from the injury in under a year.

Bethany Hamilton 
At the age of 13, while out surfing the waves of Hawaii with her friends, Bethany Hamilton was the victim of a brutal shark attack. The shark ripped Bethany’s entire left arm from her body and nearly took her life as she lost 60% of the blood in her body before arriving to a hospital. After losing her arm and narrowly surviving such a traumatic event you might think Bethany would never go near a surfboard again. Certainly, she would not be able to become a professional surfer. Yet, surfing was Bethany’s dream, and she was determined to let nothing get in her way. Less than 1 month after losing her arm she was back on her surfboard riding waves. She is now 22 years old and a fast rising star in the world of women’s professional surfing.

Although these three stories are remarkable, they are by no means unique. Everyday people are inflicted with all manner of injuries, and everyday people overcome these injuries. Do not let your latest injury become an excuse to give up an active lifestyle. Instead, educate yourself on what needs to be done to recover, and set your mind to getting it done.


Evolve Mixed Martial Arts® is Asia's premier brand of MMA academies. With World Champions in Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Mixed Martial Arts, Boxing, and No Gi Grappling, Evolve MMA is the top martial arts training organization in Asia. It ranks among the best martial arts academies in the world.