It's all in your mind

Its been a couple of weeks since you sprained your ankle. The doctor said that you did not have any significant damage and that your ankle should heal on its own in a few weeks.

Your ankle seems better, but how can you be sure?

The swelling in your ankle has gone down, but just the thought of getting back to playing sends chills up your spine.

What if you injure your ankle again?

What if your ankle is not strong enough to play again?

Will the ankle brace the physical therpist gave you affect your performance? Will it actual prevent an ankle injury?

Will you be able to do what you used to do...and will it hurt when you start again?

You still have a little stiffness but your ankle doesn't hurt.

Is it too early to start your normal routine again?

Its funny how recovering from injury can make even the most confident, assured person a little uneasy.

I think its our body's way of protecting us from hurting ourselves again, but it keeps us from living a full life.

In my opinion, the rehabilitation of any injury, including rehabbing a sprained ankle is 30% physically healing your ankle and 70% mental...believing your ankle is healed.

Sure, the actual ankle ligaments and tendons need to be healed and the muscles that support the injured ankle need to be strengthened again, but I think that our own limiting beliefs about how fast any injury can heal hold us back from recovering.

Our bodies are capable of accomplishing great things, but our minds often hold us back...we don't think we can do it...we don't believe that its possible.

A great example of this is the 4 minute mile. For years and years, it was believed that no man would ever run a mile in 4 minutes or less. The medical establishment even chimed in with physical reasons why it was impossible to run a mile in 4 minutes or less.

Then one day, Roger Bannister ran a mile in under 4 minutes. Within a couple of weeks, many more people ran a mile in under 4 minutes because now they had proof that it could be done because Roger Bannister did it.

Now, athletes run miles in under 4 minutes regularly.

Just because everybody says that you can't rehabilitate an ankle sprain in less than a week, doesn't mean you can't do it.

Keep an open mind. Believe that your ankle is healed. Follow a proven sprained ankle treatment protocol and get it done!

In less than a week, you can rehab your ankle so you can get on with your life!

The rehab process gives you confidence that your ankle is healed. Now you just have to believe that it is.