This is a part of the Hot Topic podcast series from the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center on Exercise After Burn Injury. Cheri Blauwet, MD, researcher, discusses Competitive Athletes After Burn.

Cheri Blauwet, M.D.

Director, Kelley Institute for Adaptive Sports Research

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital

I think that for people who were competitive athletes before, for folks who are highly engaged in physical activity and exercise, it can be really hard to think about maintaining that level of engagement or getting that same satisfaction out of it in the setting of your mobility being different, your sort of normal being different.

And I think, you know, sometimes it just takes a bit of time to I think wrap your head around the fact that even if it’s not exactly the same as it was before, it doesn’t mean it’s any lesser then. And you can find parallel ways to be involved that may be more feasible now. So, you know, potentially it was someone who was a marathon runner and now running 26 miles would be quite difficult or not realistic.

But certainly there are other opportunities that can give you that same feeling, that can get you out on the road for multiple hours at a time. Maybe it’s biking for example or maybe it’s still running but doing half marathons or 10Ks. You know, there are so many — there are so many ways to still I think find and nurture that competitive drive that of course I’d want to encourage everyone to just simply think about how their old way of doing it can be augmented or accommodated into an adapted version.

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