Will I play basketball again?

This week's question -

Given my diagnosis, will I ever be able to play basketball again?

My answer -

This questions brings me back to my favorite math equation and one I've written about here before.

Exercise intensity > exercise capacity = injury

Exercise intensity < exercise capacity = no injury

If math isn't your strong suit, think about it like this. You have a cup which represents your body's capacity for exercise or movement related stress. You fill that cup with water which represents the actual exercise or movement related stress you are putting on it. If the water is more than the cup can handle, it will overflow which represents injury. So lets say that water represents playing one hour of basketball with friends, but the first time you try to fill the cup it overflows. What can you do?

Build a bigger cup. How can you do that? Improve your body's capacity for exercise or movement related stress through properly progressed movement.

Will you need to lower your expectation of what you can do? Maybe initially while you build up the capacity. So lets go back to that cup example, lets say your cup right now is big enough to hold "30 mins of basketball with friends" - that is absolutely something you can do to help increase your capacity or "build a bigger cup" While also doing specific PT exercises which address your impairments and allow your cup to expand and grow.

So in summary, it is very rare than an orthopedic injury or disorder would preclude you from being able to do what you love, as long as you are willing to put the work in to get there.