Injury Trauma

[21e]

Hi,im 16 and about 10 months ago i dislocated my shoulder playing netball and really struggle to put myself back out there, 

I still have not fully recovered due to the dislocation, it was out for 3 hours effecting my spine and the same of my neck which effects my hips bc of nerve damage, but thats not why i wanted to do this, 

I was wondering if theres anyone else out there who has had an injury and has like flashbacks or like gets into a state were they can't do anything but replay that moment over and over in there head.

And uh, i was just wondering if theres anyone who has suffered this traumatic experience my physio and chiro keep telling me ive faced,a and managed to find a way to stop the so called "flashbacks" or "states" that im struggling to get out of.

I really miss netball and i can't play yet but hopefully i can build up enough strength eventually to play again, so if anyone can also maybe tell a story or give some advice about how they managed to put themself back into doing sport even though they could injure themselves again that would be very helpful.

sorry to bother anyone whos actually dealing with huge trauma rn i just thought someone might have some ideas or something... 

thanks,

Ellie 

[indigo22]

Hi Ellie,

I hope you don't mind that I am answering you again.

What you went through sounds really painful, your physio and Chiro are correct, you are having a classic trauma response. What you are describing is the mind and body's way of trying to protect you from being hurt again.

I would like to explain what happens when you go through a painful experience like yours. First a cascade of chemicals are dispersed throughout the body in an attempt to control pain and ready the body for what it may to do next. Imagine you were living on earth when large and wild animals freely roamed amongst humans, now imagine that your shoulder was dislocated by a charging Boar, your body would need to be ready for you to run to somewhere safe to avoid any further injuries. This is an automatic response from your brain and body which is designed for your survival. In your case, you did not need to run, but those chemicals will remain in your body until the threat is over. If someone had been able to reset your dislocation straight away, you would no longer be in the high state of pain and the chemicals can begin to dissipate slowly. Because you were in pain for 3 hours without relief, the body can't release the chemicals and retains the memory of the incident. The reason you are having flashbacks is because that experience could not be brought to completion when it happened, the flashbacks are your mind and body telling you that there is a need to clear the experience from your body now.

There are therapists who do 'somatic work' who can help clear the memory from your body which will stop the need for the flashback reminders. You would need to find someone who does one of/or a combination of the following therapies -

"Somatic Experiencing"

"EFT" (Emotional Freedom Technique - also known as "Tapping")

"EMDR" (Eye Movement Desensitising and Reprocessing)

I hope my explanation makes sense to you. I would suggest having a talk with your parents (now they are both there to talk to) and consider your options of who you could find to help with this. I believe this work should be included in a mental health plan from your GP as one of your options. It is not a frightening experience so no need to feel anxious about it, you may or may not have some emotions rise to the surface from the incident, but this is just part of clearing it from your body, nothing to be concerned about.

I hope this helps you feel a bit more at ease and let me know if you have any questions.

Take care,

indigo