An answer to pain or injury

            On Thursday morning March 7^th, I was sitting in Dr. Clark’s office waiting to hear what my MRI results from a week earlier had shown.  At this point I knew my arm was weak but had been getting better slowly.  I still could not open a door, but I just figured I had a minor sprain or a big bruise and with ice and pain meds it, my pain would be fixed.  That was not the case at all.

            Dr. Clark is the UNI athletics team doctor, athletes who have major injuries competing for the panthers see him.  Looking back I am glad that he presented the news of my injury the way he did.  He walked in and told me his thoughts about my arm, and my athletic trainer Troy’s, had been true, complete tears of major ligaments with specific bodily functions.  I translated the medical language as “really screwed up.”  What made me glad the way Dr. Clark presented this news was how he showed me that rehab or surgery could only strengthen my arm more.  That is what I was most concerned about, because at the time I couldn’t even open a door with my left arm.

            Now comparing this to what my Dad did in college has really made me think about the old saying that everyone has heard from a coach (or elementary school playground teacher, Mean Gibbins ahh I mean Mrs. Gibbins, who hated every form of fun I had), “pain or injury?  While wrestling for Iowa my Dad won 3 NCAA titles, became the first wrestler in Iowa history to make the finals four times, and then won a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics.

            His senior year he defeated his rival from Iowa State, Mike Mann in the finals.  Earlier in the year however, my dad tore his ACL in his right knee.  He said the pain felt like it was on fire and he had no idea what he had done.  My dad actually tore his ligament at midlands, an annual tournament held at Northwestern University.  He continued to wrestle and reached the finals before talking to his trainers and coach, Dan Gable.  After hearing this story a few times, the doctors first told my dad he was to have surgery and was not going to be able to compete for the rest of the year.  Gable and my Dad had other ideas.

            My dad was, and in lifting respects still is, an incredible athlete.  Growing up he had two brothers he would wrestle, lift, and play other sports with.  His twin, my uncle, Lou won 2 NCAA titles for Iowa and a gold medal at the same Olympics too.  My dad still had a huge gas tank of endurance in wrestling, an upper body second to none, and one strong leg that he planned to use that to his advantage.  Over the next few weeks and months of rest and rehab strength came back.  People walk on torn ACLs all the time, but few wrestle on one.

            My dad changed the way he wrestled; he led with his left foot instead of his right from that point in the year on.  He had success with it too, in march he won his third NCAA title.  He was disciplined, focused, and mentally put the injury out of his mind.  It didn’t affect him.  In my case however, I basically tore the same ligament he did, but in my elbow.  Instantly I lost all strength in that arm.  I was more stunned than anything.

            Wrestling requires hand-to-hand combat before enforcing your offence upon your opponent.  My arms are major factors in wrestling and are used a lot in practice and a match.  With my left one at no strength I would have stood no chance.  What also scared me was watching a teammate.  Aaron McMurphy, a redshirt freshman that year had dislocated his elbow and tore the same ligament earlier in the year.  Two months later, right after I tore mine, he came back to wrestle.

            It didn’t go very well for him, I saw him try to wrestle at the level our room had set.  I loved his attitude and drive, but he could not compete because his arm wasn’t one hundred percent.  He tried to come back too fast and he hurt it again.  He had rehabbed it, but the fact of the matter was he still had a torn UCL and couldn’t wrestle.  After seeing that I told myself I needed surgery.  I was basically in the same boat as he was.

            Which made me clearly define in my mind what an injury is and the difference from an injury to pain.  An injury, to me, is a condition of the body beyond one’s control.  It prevents an individual from doing something they wish to do, like an everyday task or a specific action.  An injury is not a full impairment to an activity if it can be fixed or healed.  Pain is discomfort while performing any activity of your choice, an individual can push through pain.  An injury can’t be ignored.

            My dad dealt with the pain.  He told me surgery was the road I should take.  I couldn’t wrestle with one arm, I had surgery and took six months off.  Currently I am back on the mat and excited for the upcoming season.  Time is flying by and so is this year, our first tournament is less than 3 weeks away.  Tomorrow, Monday, is a work day, and I can’t wait for the opportunity.

Until next time, laugh often, with everyone, but never at someone.

Riley Banach

My Dad, and Dr. Greenwald (and yes, that is my Dad's Gold Medal)