Athletic trainers can be your best friends and it's great to have a good relationship with them. You might be dealing with a big injury and just need some tape but trainers are always there for you. However, they don't want to see you in the athletic training rooms–they would much rather see you healthy and in practice. Tim Pieczara, an athletic trainer at Illinois Wesleyan University, gave me his advice on how to best take care of your body. Here are his best tips.

2aDays: What are your recommendations that are universal for any athlete to take care of their body?

Tim: Every athlete needs to understand recovery and understand that being a good athlete is more than sports participation–it is also getting enough sleep, eating well, hydrating enough, and doing things to take care of their body to be in optimal shape when they can be.

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2aDays: What are things or actions that athletes, in general, should stay away from?

Tim: I don't think there is necessarily one thing. There are a lot of things that can add up and be detrimental to athletes. One thing is early on, [is] sports specialization in youth athletes. Dedicating [yourself] to one sport can wear you out and predispose you to injury. Once you get to college, there is a balance in athletic, academic, and social life. If things get unbalanced there, it can lead athletes down a path that can be detrimental to their careers.

Remember that you are much more than your sport…Your success in the sport does not dictate who you are or who you will be.

Tim Pieczara

2aDays: What are the best ways to recover from hard work outside of obviously sleep?

Tim: The best way to recover is a deeply personal thing. I am a mobility person. Make sure you are working on your mobility and things are moving properly. Mobility and flexibility are a little different, you don't have to be flexible to be mobile. Maintaining mobility and just being active at lower intensities is a great way to recover.

2aDays: How important are taking actions like ice baths to keep your body healthy?

Tim: So ice baths…I'm very much [of the opinion that] if it works for you then that's great but I'm not going to push it unless there is another reason for it. I never really use them for recovery but I will for acute injuries like acute ankle sprains, mostly if there is a lot of pain. If there isn't a lot of pain then just move it around and that will be more beneficial. Foam rolling can be very beneficial in terms of mobility. [It] doesn't create any changes in your body but it tricks your mind into reminding your body to let those body parts relax. So I stand with foam rolling but not very big on ice baths.

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2aDays: If you had to give one piece of advice to college athletes, what would it be?

Tim: Remember that you are much more than your sport. You are a person, you have your own likes and life outside of your sport. Your success in the sport does not dictate who you are or who you will be.

2aDays: What is your take on playing through injuries?

Tim: There has to be some degree of toughness to be a successful athlete [but] run everything by your athletic trainer and let them make that decision. Nothing is too small to bring up to your athletic trainer even if you are just sore, I'm glad you are letting me know so we can modify it. 

However, if you are playing through an injury and I don't know about it, that only looks bad on the athlete. You are not going to be competing at your best, your coach is gonna notice and ask you, you are gonna have to come up with something or explain you are injured and that will come back to the athletic trainer. While there has to be some degree of toughness and if you can play injured that's great as my job is to keep you on the field or court, or get you back as quickly as possible. However, make sure you clear it with your athletic trainer and let them make that call.

2aDays: Where do you see most injuries coming from?

Tim: It's really all over the place. A lot of injuries are indirect not through contact like hitting each other, a lot of injuries come from taking a wrong step or hitting a hole or hitting a ball wrong or whatever it may be. So usually indirect types of mechanisms. At least in the sports that I work, football, basketball, and tennis, I see a lot of ankle sprains so that seems really big.

2aDays: What is your advice for the mental health of players while injured?

Tim: Try to be a part of the team. It's very easy, because you're hurt to just sit on the sidelines and just wallow in the sadness of not being out there with your teammates or that your coach won't play you afterward as much. I found that many athletes I have worked with found it beneficial in making sure they are encouraging their teammates or still being a present figure with their teammates even when they are injured.

Image Credit: Illinois Wesleyan Athletics

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* Originally published on November 17, 2022, by Scott Abramson