Helen Griffith
Athletes are constantly feeling the pressure to perform to the best of their abilities. Sometimes this means pushing themselves past their limit. Overworking injuries are increasing rapidly. Stress fractures and ACL, MCL and meniscus tears are all popular examples of these types of injuries. With sports becoming more intense, athletes often start feeling pain and brush it off because they don’t want the possibility of sitting out. The lead trainer at UAHS, Katelynn Dilly, works very hard to inform athletes about injuries.
“I think the more that we learn with science and medicine, and the better awareness and recognition we give to [injuries], the more [the athletes] feel like it’s okay to kind of come forward and talk about their injuries,” Dilly said.
When an athlete is injured, from the original fall to the first game back, they go through the intense process of the “comeback.” Whether that is mentally or physically taxing, it is a battle. Athletes are often put through intense physical therapy to try to heal their injury. On average, athletes go to a physical therapist 1-2 times a week. On their off days, physical therapists work with trainers at UAHS so they can fill in the days they can’t go to the physical therapist.
When injured, an athlete’s role on the team changes drastically. They go from being a player, competing everyday and being an asset on the team, to being glued to the sidelines. Luke Backes, a quarterback on the Upper Arlington football team, tore his meniscus in July 2025. He talked about how he found his role while being injured.
“I tried to be the best mentor that I could with that being like going over plays with everyone and making sure everyone knows their assignments and where they need to be at certain times,” Backes said. Sports cause tons of pressure for athletes and when an athlete is injured that pressure changes. Athletes have to worry about being there for the team but also they don’t want to come back too fast leaving them constantly worried about reinjuring themselves. Backes experienced this first hand.
“I mostly felt pressure [to return] from myself. I mean [my teammates and I] have been through a lot together and played with each other for so long. I felt like I owed it to them to try to come back,” Backes said.
When asked if he was worried about returning too fast and reinjuring himself, Backes said he really focused on physical therapy and rehab so that his injury would not be an issue for the first game.
‘How could I have prevented this?’ is the question blasting through every athlete’s head from the moment of their injury to their last physical therapy session. Athletes are pushed to go partake in weight lifting while in-season and out of season. At Upper Arlington, coaches Brandon Spickler and Kasey Zalewski focus on minimizing the risks of injuries.
“We are strengthening not only the muscle, but the ligaments and tendons around the knee…so we can’t just do the same thing over and over again. We need to create density and strengthen those ligaments,” Spickler said.
Lots of athletes are doing the same movements every day. When a student is strength training, coaches will have them use various muscles and change up lifts so they are working on different parts of their body. This reduces risks of injury because they aren’t putting too much pressure on one part of their body.
Preventing injuries is not only about weight training. Taking care of their body every day can help athletes minimize the risks of injuries. Coach Spickler talked about what he calls the “big three” for minimizing injury risks.
“A solid strength and conditioning program all year around…Fueling, like nutrition, has got to be something that’s in check… Sleep, the body’s ability to repair and rebuild itself,” Spickler said.
Injuries are never going to be 100 percent preventable, but making sure your body is healthy can minimize the risks. Injuries happen, and when they do it is important to be flexible and able to find a new role on the team.