Bad breaks can bring MATTHEW MCINERNEY unexpected positives
A SERIOUS INJURY CLOUD HAS HAD A SILVER LINING FOR ONE FNQ FOOTBALL PLAYER, WRITES
BEN Collins’ mind reckons he can suit up and play a game of football, but his body says no.
It’s a delicate balance, but not necessarily a negative, for Collins to tackle on a near daily basis.
An exercise physiologist by trade, there’s almost no better person to self-diagnose their rehabilitation from a serious physical injury.
Almost six months ago to the day, a simple challenge left Collins on Southside Comets’ home turf writhing in agony.
On any other day, he and Edge Hill United’s Jesse Casson would go for the ball, one player gets it and the other misses, and it’s play on.
Not on that evening. A clean break to Collins’ right tibia and fibula forced a long wait for an ambulance and caused the early end to the FNQ Football Premier League contest.
Of course, it ended his season as a player, but that was the furthest thing from Collins’ mind at the time.
Even now, half a year on, Collins isn’t too concerned about the incident. He’s not upset or angry it happened, he holds nothing against Casson – it’s just an unfortunate injury which occurred on the football field.
“I’ve always been positive about it,” Collins said yesterday during a lunch break.
He’s on the road, spending the day with clients at Mossman
for Health Moves Exercise Physiology. It’s a packed schedule, checking in on clients who are rehabilitating their own injuries and helping them become more mobile.
The irony isn’t lost on Collins, who says his horrific injury has actually helped him gain a perspective young exercise physiologists sometimes don’t have.
“It actually gives me more of an understanding of what they’re going through,” Collins said. “They’re usually in a rehab process and, generally, you might not know what they’re going through.
“But this gives me perspective. It’s opened my eyes.”
Collins has played football his whole life, so you would think it’s difficult to keep himself from putting his boot through a ball or throwing on the kit for a run in one of many social competitions. He’s a bit more realistic. Three weeks in a bed after the injury meant the loss of quite a bit of muscle mass from both legs. His biggest challenges, at least for now, are muscle pain and fatigue.
The rod in his right knee occasionally gives him a little grief, but he’s sure that will pass with some time.
This is where his job helps his rehabilitation.
Not only can he sneak in a few extra minutes of activities between clients, but the simple task of demonstrating exercises has its benefits.
There’s still a few he admits he can’t do, but things are getting easier.
Between his regular meetings with Cairns Total Physio’s Tom Maher, which is now every two to three weeks and includes some time on a zero gravity treadmill, and advice from those around him, he’s well on the comeback trail. But a game, that’s well off. “You can’t walk for anywhere near as long,” he said.
“You get some pain as the muscles aren’t used to the movements; you have to take it as it comes. I’m feeling a lot less fatigue now.
“A few months ago I couldn’t walk for 10 minutes; the other day I refereed a game – only walking – and managed to go the 90.
“Mentally, I don’t feel too bad at all. I feel like I could go for a run tomorrow but the body disagrees with that. Even coming back to playing, it might take a challenge or two to truly get back into it.”
THEY’RE USUALLY IN A REHAB PROCESS AND, GENERALLY, YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW WHAT THEY’RE GOING THROUGH. BUT THIS GIVES ME PERSPECTIVE.
IT’S OPENED MY EYES.
THE injury brought an abrupt end to Ben Collins’ playing season but it has only enhanced his football education.
Collins has had plenty of time to sit on the sideline and watch, dissect, and analyse the game.
He says it’s made him a better student of the game, which helps when he leads juniors at the Far North Queensland Football Centre of Excellence. “Taking that step back and getting another perspective of the game,” he said. “You can analyse it a lot more clearly than when you’re playing. You can see where players are, their positioning, their awareness; it’s a different perspective, and allows me to better teach kids.”