It’s something every athlete dreads to hear. Getting the dreaded “You’re injured” talk from a coach, doctor, or physical therapist can be season halting news. In high school, where year round sports are compressed into 3-month seasons, it may seem like missing a practice or game is the end of an athletic career.

Missing a practice due to an injury is indefinite, lasting from a week for a minor sprain or strain, to months for torn ligaments. Many sports injuries are treated with time and rest. Sitting out of practice and games to go to therapy, or to rest may seem like it is derailing your athletic career. Playing through the injury, however, can make the injury much worse.

Although it may seem that taking time off to recover from a sport is holding you back, it’s the best thing you can do for your career. Playing through an injury takes away from the time that you’re body would need to heal. It also could lead to re-injury or making the injury much worse. For example, if a player gets a concussion in a head-to-head collision and then tries to keep playing, they could end up with serious brain damage. A small stress fracture that might have healed quickly could turn into a more serious fracture that takes longer to heal.

Ignoring an injury, even if it seems minor, can lead to permanent damage. Unless you plan on spending the rest of your life doing nothing other than playing your sport, it is not worth the risk. Ignoring an injury can affect future chances to play the sport at a collegiate or professional level. Just because the pain can be ignored now, doesn’t mean that it won’t turn into life long damage. This damage can affect an athlete even when doing everyday tasks that aren’t related to their sport. This should be taken very seriously. While it is okay to make some sacrifices in the name of athletics, lifelong pain should not be one of them.

It’s important to remember that a minor injury can develop into a more serious injury if not taken care of. Playing through the pain can actually end up leaving you benched for an entire season or with permanent damage. Don’t take that risk. Injuries are a serious matter. Your body is something that you will need long after you are done with sports. Sometimes sitting out for a few practices can save your season and possibly your athletic career.