Health And Body Essay, Research Paper

In all parts of life there are periods of adversity that we must face, the real challenge however, is what and how we gain from conquering those trials. There have been many times that I have been faced with adversity, it has happened in all aspects of my life at one time or another. Whether it is dealing with the ups and downs of hockey or balancing the pressure that comes with an elite hockey schedule and high school, there are always obstacles. Some of these challenges can bring about positive effects that influence the path of one’s life. In one such experience of mine, the amount of adversity was not near as great as the positive out come that came from my experience. It happened when I was thirteen, I suffered a hockey injury that helped me to realize the area I wanted to study and hopefully have career in. The time it took me to rehabilitate my shoulder was a time of great learning for me but it also came with a great deal of adversity. It was an injury that sidelined me for weeks while at the same time pushed me on my way to a new work ethic and a new enthusiasm for learning.

When I was in grade seven, I was playing my second year of peewee hockey and playing for my junior high school team as well. The junior high league allowed checking and the peewee league did not. Because of this I was not accustomed to the new aspect of hockey brought on by checking. I was injured in an intense game against our rival junior high, which was filled with plenty of checking. I was on the receiving end of a brutal check from behind which is something not permitted in any league, the player that hit me received a penalty and a game expulsion. I tried to continue playing but it was no use, I was barely able to raise my arm. I ended up in the hospital where the doctor informed me that I had severely dislocated my left shoulder and would have to miss up to three weeks of play. I had never been forced to miss hockey because of an injury before and it was the worst news I had ever heard. The time I missed from hockey was one of the most difficult periods I had been through up to that point.

The doctor at the hospital referred me to a physiotherapist, whom I met with three times. The physiotherapist, who seemed to be a little unfamiliar with my injury, gave me an exercise program that was supposed to heal my shoulder. Because the doctor and physiotherapist I initially met with were not sports specialists I would later be confronted with the fact that a dislocated shoulder takes more than just a few weeks to heal and it can’t actually be determined how long it takes until it has been healed. I religiously followed the exercise program given to me by my physiotherapist but was seeing minimal improvement.

After the initial three weeks was over I was still in a great deal of pain and still had trouble moving my arm. As obvious as the fact that I could not play was, I still tried to convince my parents that I could return to playing hockey. They felt it was better for me to have it checked by a specialist. Because I was still feeling pain I decide to take their advice. My dad arranged an appointment with one of the top orthopaedic/sports medicine specialists in Nova Scotia. She examined my shoulder and found that my previous rehabilitative regime was ineffective, the damage was worse than I had thought and she told me that I would not be able to participate in any contact sport for the next three to six weeks.

A referral from this doctor sent me to a physiotherapist and then a kinesiologist who gave me a different, more rigorous exercise program that produced great improvement to my shoulder. This program was much harder physically and took much more commitment to follow. I was getting up one hour earlier for school each morning so that I could do the exercises twice a day. I had never had to work so hard at something before in my life but returning to hockey as soon as possible was something I was very determined to succeed at.

While following this program I gained a strengthened work ethic. I realized for the first time that to accomplish something as big and as important as this, it would take a desire that out weighed all other distractions; I had made returning to hockey my main priority. This new understanding of the commitment it took to overcome such obstacles gradually showed up in other areas later on in my life.

Along with this new work ethic I also found I had developed an enthusiasm for rehabilitative sciences. The things being told to me by the therapists and specialists that I was regularly meeting with were fascinating to me and motivated me to try and gain more knowledge about what they were telling me. Through things like independent research into strength training and asking my physiotherapist as many questions as I could, I was gaining knowledge of the human body and how it works from a muscular standpoint. The things that I was learning about my body were a great deal easier to remember than what I was learning at school and I was getting enjoyment out of it as well.

The process of rehabilitating my shoulder ended up taking four weeks more than expected but with the guidance of the new specialists I was meeting with, it went smoothly and was a success. My shoulder healed in time for me to join my teams for play-offs and both ended up doing quite well. That however was not the greatest achievement I gained from the rehabilitative process. I found myself perusing the desire to acquire greater knowledge about the human body and how it heals injuries like the one I suffered and how that process can be improved through exercise and strength training. I researched the Internet, libraries and health magazines trying to find as much information as I could about this interest I was developing.

As time went on I continued to research and was retaining the information I found, I was not able to do this as easily with other subjects. As my knowledge grew my desire to learn more grew along with it. Throughout my studies I noticed that much of the information I was getting had a background in biology. My schooling to that point dealt very little with biology. An interest in biology began to develop as a result of my desire to learn more about sports medicine. I decided that to better understand the things I was learning in relation to sports medicine I would take biology in high school. When I entered grade eleven I found the biology course exhilarating, for the first time I was enjoying what my teacher at school was teaching and I started looking forward to my biology class. I soon determined that I wanted to further my study of both biology and sports medicine in University. I decided the best path for me to take is to start with an undergraduate degree in biology.

I have recently made many sacrifices, both socially and athletically so that I can improve my grades in other subjects in an attempt to gain entrance to a recognized university. The other courses I have selected this year, such as chemistry and math, will help to prepare me for my future studies. I have concentrated hard on my grades and feel confident that my hard work will bring success in achieving my goals. I have even noticed that my attitude toward my studies and learning is somewhat different than that of some of my peers.

There are other aspects of my life that I have changed and improved on as a result of this experience that do not relate to my education. The dedication that I put into rehabilitating my shoulder injury compelled me to continue strength training and that later gave me an advantage over my competition in hockey. I have improved, as a hockey player because I realized at an early age what it takes to achieve goals that are important to you and success in hockey has been one of my most important goals. In the past few years I have had many opportunities in hockey and have been able to take advantage of them because I had the perseverance to fight through small set backs and focus on the bigger picture.

My interest in sports medicine helped me to understand the importance of proper and complete training as part of a healthy life. My health is something I take seriously as a result of being exposed to health professionals. I have consequently developed an enjoyment of a variety of activities that will allow me to be healthy and active throughout my life. I am now also taking care of myself and taking precautions in my training so I may enjoy the same benefits of an active lifestyle in the future with out problem. I am very thankful that I was able to obtain the knowledge I have about an active way of living because it has helped me to feel better about my health and my body.

The experience I had with rehabilitating my shoulder was an experience that has changed my life for the better. It has helped me to dedicate myself to things that are important to me like my education and athletics and given me the knowledge and will power I needed to get through times of difficulty. I now have a very healthy and active lifestyle, which I will maintain as long as I can, and I understand the limitations I have to respect so that I may continue it. The result I am most pleased with is the introduction I was given to the world of biology and sports medicine. It is this growing interest that pushes me every day to work to succeed in school so that I may pursue my interest and someday have a career in an area that I will enjoy and dedicate myself to.