Having suffered from a serious injury setback on her journey towards SEA Games qualification, national marathoner Yvonne Chee hopes to use her insights gained to help others going through a tough time
National marathoner Yvonne Chee suffered a fractured ankle while attempting to qualify for the 2021 SEA Games. PHOTO: SPORTPLUS.SG
Injuries can be disruptive and leave a sour taste to anyone's sporting experience. It doesn't matter if you are an elite athlete preparing for competition, or a random weekend warrior trying to enjoy sports socially with friends.
But sometimes, unexpected accidents can happen even to the best of us.
Having suffered from a fractured ankle last year, national marathoner Yvonne Chee went through different stages of emotional and physical setbacks.
Being the fighter that she is, it did not stop her from battling back to fitness. And here she is, sharing helpful insights for our readers who may be going through tough times of battling to overcome injuries.
Chee was having an easy run last year when she slipped and heard two loud cracks. Thinking it was just a sprain, she went to the hospital only to have x-rays reveal that she had suffered a fracture.
So how long did it take her to recover enough to be able to head out for a run on the road?
Yvonne Chee believes that recovering from injury is both a mental and physical endeavour. PHOTO: SPORTPLUS.SG
3 months it took me to run on full body weight. Prior to that I was able to run on a machine called the Lightspeed Lift, which allowed me to lift off 20kg of my bodyweight to start running.
For that, I did 50 over days after my foot fracture.
So what tips does Chee have for people who are injured and are feeling disheartened or mentally struggling to overcome the experience?
For that, she has summarised it into one word - R.E.L.A.X.
Getting enough rest is critical when down with injury, something which may be quite tough to do for athletes and those who are hyperactive. PHOTO: SPORTPLUS.SG
1. R stands for "Rest"
Remember that you are fundamentally injured, so there is no point in pushing yourself at this point as your body needs plenty of rest
2. E stands for "Eat Well"
Allowing your body to receive the right nutrients is important even in usual times, but particularly at a time where your body needs to heal, eating the right foods play an important role so that your bones and tissues can recover fully
3. L stands for "Listening to Professionals"
Be it your sports doctor or physio, this is not a time for you to try home made hacks for rehabilitation but instead to trust in the advice of trained professionals on your road to recovery
Listening to the advice of professionals is also a key part of Yvonne Chee's R.E.L.A.X method of injury rehabilitation. PHOTO: SPORTPLUS.SG
4. A stands for "Anger Management"
It is normal to go through different phases and mood swings when you are out of action - this could include feelings like disappointment, anger, sadness - and managing that could involve things like talking to friends, praying etc. Different people have different ways of doing it.
5. X stands for "Execute"
It doesn't mean that you do nothing. Execution in this aspect could involve actively doing your rehabilitation in order to ensure smooth recovery to bring your body back into optimal conditions so you can either compete or train again
If you are reading this while injured, we hope these useful nuggets of advice from Yvonne serve as useful tips in your journey back. Remember, stay positive and you are on your way there.