Skip to Content
Categories:

How Sports Injuries Can Affect Student Athletes

Chandrika Pallekonda pinning an opponent at the CyFair wrestling tournament a month prior to tearing her MCL.
Chandrika Pallekonda pinning an opponent at the CyFair wrestling tournament a month prior to tearing her MCL.
Alisa Arriaga

Last school year, Chandrika Pallekonda, a senior in wrestling and jiu-jitsu, tore her medial collateral ligament (MCL) during the week of regionals, leaving her anxious to return to the mat. Similarly, junior soccer player Justin Kim tore his MCL and was forced to watch from the sidelines for four months.

For athletes, injuries create numerous challenges — forcing extended periods of rest, and potentially prompting rushed recoveries that can further issues.

Moreover, athletes’ rush to return to their sport makes recovery challenging, as even healed injuries may require physical rehabilitation. “I would always want to do more and get back as fast as I can,” Kim stated.

Kim quickly learned that pushing through his football season MCL tear — and later dealing with two more ligament tears over spring break — put extra strain on his ankles and Achilles tendons. “The mental part of having to sit out and watch all your teammates have fun and play the sport that they love … was the hardest part,” he added.

Pallekonda’s time to recover from her MCL tear also significantly affected her sports journey mentally and physically. “Not being able to train myself properly, and having to take so much time off to regain full mobility in my arm, really left me feeling down about my physical state, as well as my inability to do something that I really loved,” she recalled.

Although this was a setback, Pallekonda found ways to make healing easier. To help her get back on track, she mentioned that physical therapy, strength and conditioning, along with counseling, went a long way.

Kim also highlighted mindset as key to recovery and urged injured athletes to keep pushing through. “Some advice I would give is to not give up … it will pass, and it is going to be hard to come back, but you will always have people around you that will be with you and give you that motivation,” Kim said.

With the semester now well underway, Kim and Pallekonda are fully healed and ready for the upcoming sports season. When asked for their hopes for this season, both athletes opened up about their desire for success and improvement.

“I’m just hoping that I can get better for the season, that I can be better than I was last year, and that things go even better than they have in the past,” Pallekonda said.

Kim shared a similar message: “(I hope) to come back and be better than I was, and to hopefully win more games with my team than the previous years and go to playoffs.”

More to Discover