Mental & Physical Health Play a Role in Getting Athletes Back in the Game After Injury
Tuesday, March 1, 2022

by Liz Bonis & Merby Curtis, WKRC

Watch the full interview. Click Here

EDGEWOOD, Ky. (WKRC) – Local doctors are focusing on both physical healing and emotional support after injury recovery.

With so many sports getting back on track after a lot of inconsistent playing and training in this pandemic, the team at OrthoCincy says they are reminding athletes that it takes a healthy body and a healthy mind to return to full healing. They say part of the reason to be sure to consider physical therapy initially after an injury is to build up physical strength. These teams help with recovery and start to measure improvement that helps not just with the body, but also the confidence needed to return to play.

"When an athlete first starts back, they're nervous, especially if they have pain,” said Dr. Adam Metzler, an orthopedic surgeon at OrthoCincy. “They're nervous to come out of their cuts or go through the route with their progressions, and that can be very challenging psychologically for an athlete as they return back to play."

Dr. Metzler works with team sports on and off the court, especially those recovering from knee injuries. He said part of his job is to help get the body repaired, but many athletes now also can be referred to a sports psychologist if they still seem to mentally struggle with confidence after any kind of a medical setback.

The other thing Dr. Metzler noted is that a lot more coaches are now paying attention overall to athletes and mental health, sometimes not even related to an injury. Coaches can often intervene with concerns, such as depression, and refer athletes to help.

If you’d like to book an appointment with Dr. Metzler, click here.