#injury to ligaments

[the-broken-pen]

“You’re going to blow out your arms,” the villain observed. They watched as the hero merely grit their teeth, shoving themself through another pull-up. It looked painful, and if the sweat slicking the hero’s brow was any indication, it was.

They waited for the hero to let themself drop from the bar and accept the villain was stronger. But they didn’t.

Three more pull-ups, and the villain stepped in.

“Hero,” they said slowly. “You’re about to tear the ligaments in your arms. You need to stop.”

The hero blew out a shuddering breath. Struggled for purchase, fighting gravity—and let themself drop.

The hero’s hands were bleeding, calluses torn open by the bar. The hero didn’t seem bothered when their own hands shook so much that their blood began to splatter on the gym floor.

For a moment, the villain could only stare at them.

Shit.

They didn’t know how to handle this. They knew the hero was dedicated. They knew the hero was strong, and perpetually trying to be stronger, but they hadn’t thought…

They hadn’t thought the hero would be so willing to tear apart their own body for success.

It was supposed to be fun, the villain thought. They felt a little sick as the hero pressed their palms together to soothe the bleeding, an action that was practiced and familiar. As if they had done this before.

The hero reached for something in their bag, smearing blood on the side, and pulled out a roll of blue electrical tape. The villain didn’t understand why, until the hero tore a strip off and made to wrap their hands with it.

The hero would be the death of them.

They crouched in front of the hero, plucking the electrical tape out of their hands.

“What are you doing with this?”

The hero blinked at the villain like they were the strange one in this situation.

“Wrapping my hands?”

The villain hissed in a breath.

“With electrical tape?”

The hero flushed slightly, looking down at their bloody hands. They looked close to tears.

“It…sticks to skin, really well. And it doesn’t move, either, when you move your hands or wherever else, even if you’re fighting. Plus, blood doesn’t make it come off, at least, not for a while.”

The villain blinked at them.”

“Blood doesn’t make it come off,” the villain repeated, processing. The hero nodded, reaching for the electrical tape. The villain settled it out of reach.

“Not if you wrap it right.”

Dimly, the villain realized that meant the hero had done this enough times to have it down to a science.

“And you couldn’t use a bandaid?” The villain asked incredulously. The hero shrugged a shoulder, then winced at the motion.

Yeah, the hero had absolutely blown out their arms.

“Bandaids move—“

The villain hushed them.

“Be quiet for a second.”

The hero, wisely, went quiet.

The villain rubbed a hand over their face, then studied the hero for a moment. They took one of the hero’s hands into their own, studying the damage.

“Why did you do this to yourself,” the villain murmured.

“What do you mean, why,” the hero snapped. “It’s my job.”

“Your job is to save people,” the villain corrected. “Not destroy yourself.”

“I’m not destroying myself—“

“You are.”

“Shut up—“

“Hero.”

“I need to be better,” the hero snapped. Their voice rang out across the gym, echoing into the rafters, and they both froze. After a moment, the hero spoke again, voice soft. “I need to be better.”

They said it like they needed the villain to understand. The villain wondered who they were really saying it to—the villain, or themself.

“Better than who?”

“Everyone.” It was hushed, like a secret.

The villain watched them, waiting.

The hero took a shaky breath

“My whole thing is being the best. I have always been the best. That’s the only reason I matter. If I’m not strong enough, then I am nothing, so I need. to be. better.”

The hero had started crying, very quietly, like they were afraid to take up too much space.

The villain was not equipped to handle gifted kid burnout.

“There’s more to you than just being a good athlete,” the villain said hesitantly, and the hero shook their head.

“No. There isn’t.”

“Hero.”

“Can you give me back my electrical tape?” They hiccuped to contain a sob.

“No,” the villain said firmly, and then the hero really was sobbing.

“You don’t understand—“

The villain didn’t. Not really. They had never been the kind of talented that the hero was.

They wondered now if maybe that was a blessing.

“I don’t,” the villain agreed. “But I do understand that you’ve saved half the city, and you give everything you have to give, and you always do your best.”

“But I-“

“No.” The villain stopped them. “You are doing your best.” They tipped the hero’s chin up until they met the villain’s eyes. “And it is enough.”

The hero froze, eyes darting over the villain’s face. They wondered if anyone had ever said that to the hero, if whatever mentor they had was giving them anything other than orders to be stronger. Be better. Be more.

The villain had some new targets to take care of, it would seem.

For now, though, they had to take care of hero.

“We’re going to go wrap your hands,” they said softly. “And then we’re going to take care of your arms, and you’re going to take a nap.”

The hero nodded, watching them like they were some kind of good, selfless person.

“And if I ever catch you using electrical tape again, so help me, I will put you six feet under.”

That startled a laugh out of the hero, and they let the villain guide them to their feet.

“Fine.”

The villain turned to them. “Okay?”

Are you going to be alright?

The hero seemed to understand.

“Okay,” the hero agreed.

Yes.

And so, it was.

[red-catmander]

i participated in the art party! thank you everybody who let me draw your characters :>

[ainawgsd]

Very happy to report that Sven's limp is much improved! He's still clearly favoring his left leg, but he's putting weight on it now.

We bought him a knee brace to help support that knee as he gets back to being more active. Today we went for a walk for the first time in about 3 weeks! I'm still going to have him outside on leash only for at least another two weeks and probably moderately restricted activity at least through the summer. But I'm hoping to teach him to retrieve a floating retriever and build up some muscles with water exercise.

[amagicancan]

Ik DAMN WELL those batdam members have chronic pain there’s no way you go out almost everyday fighting basically a war on minimal hours of sleep and only have light wear and tear to show for it, must hurt incredibly

[alectothinker]

tag yourself

[one-time-i-jumped-off-a-cliff]

OWAUGH

[burying-brightness]

.

[crystaldeclear]

Nothing says Arsenal player like a knee injury. Welcome Laia Codina!

[fingertipsmp3]

So the x-ray went fucking terribly

[iseverelydislikeeveryone]

I, an athlete, suffered a sports injury yesterday while not taking part in any sport.

I damaged a ligament going down the stairs. I was supposed to go to training yesterday after the meet on Saturday. Now I can't walk.

[mackiinnon]

I’ve mentioned this before but team doctors need to like actually do their job I get players wanna play but there’s no reason to clear players that are clearly not okay

[quaranmine]

clicked on a whump fanfic and the character injured themselves and like later someone else was looking at them and was like "omg how did u even walk on this injury" and when they described it. it was. the character had dislocated their kneecap

as someone who has extensive firsthand experience with patellar dislocations. thats not how it works 😭

[rising-anew]

Wheee MRI results

I fell flat on my back while skiing on February 6th. I’ve been having elbow pain since then, and can’t straighten my left elbow fully. My chiropractor, when we determined we weren’t making progress, asked me to go get imaging done. I have a consultation on tuesday, but the initial results from today’s MRI is that I have a small, nondisplaced fracture and a high-grade partial ligament tear.

[if-i-am-not-for-me]

I don't have a diagnosis worthy connective tissue disorder, but I do have ligaments lax enough that I sprained my knee by getting into my car in a slightly sub-optimal fashion.

This is fine.

[emily-prentits]

my poor wrist has never recovered from being sprained rip

[incognitopolls]

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