Five Sports Injuries That Should Have Ended A Professional Career

Many times athletes take a huge risk to compete within their given sports. Some athletes look as though they won't be able to make it back when they deal with injuries that seemingly should signal the end of their careers. These are a few examples of those inspirational athletes that fight their way back.

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Getting injured as an athlete is painful in multiple ways—not just physically. Depending on the severity of the injury, it could severely impede or even end an athlete's career. However, there are some athletes who, though they look like they're on the ropes, surprisingly bounce back. They get the treatment and physical therapy they need, and muster the courage to fight their way back. It's often the tenacity to keep going that helps them emerge from their injuries to continue to play the sports they love.

Adrian Peterson

One great example of recovery is Adrian Peterson, a Minnesota Vikings running back who had a season-ending knee surgery at the end of the 2011 season. In 2012, Peterson returned without missing a single game, and he even led the league in rushing with 2,097 yards. He went on to win the league MVP and almost broke the NFL all-time single-season rushing record.

RGIII

Robert Griffin III, a Washington Redskins quarterback, also bounced back from knee surgery with what has been called a "superhuman" recovery. The surgery involved efforts to repair Griffin's torn LCL and ACL that Griffin suffered during a first round playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks. Of course, it's not only the surgery that makes the difference—it takes skilled physical therapists trained at schools such as Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMUoHP.com) to get these athletes back on their feet.

Kevin Pearce

Athletes playing team sports are not the only ones to suffer accidents and propel themselves to bounce back. Olympic snowboarder Kevin Pearce suffered a traumatic brain injury while on a half-pipe run in Utah, falling into a coma after slamming his head practicing a complex stunt. With the odds against him, he fought through two years of intensive rehabilitation. Though Pearce has not returned to competition, he has been able to continue participating in the industry and making a big difference for others. His is a very inspirational story.

Bethany Hamilton

And then, of course, there are the types of injuries that no one sees coming. Bethany Hamilton, a professional surf champion, nearly died when a shark attacked her arm in Hawaii at age 13. Though many worried her professional surfing career was over due to the loss of her arm, she was back in the water a month after the attack to teach herself, once again, how to surf.

Lindsey Vonn

What about professional skier Lindsey Vonn? Less than one year after tearing several knee ligaments and breaking her leg in a high-speed ski crash in February 2013, Vonn was back on the slopes and vying for a spot on the 2014 U.S. Winter Olympics Team. Due to a separate injury, she will not be competing in this year's Olympics, but she recovered faster than expected from her 2013 crash on the super-G. Fans of the 28-year-old skier old will be watching to see if she'll bounce back once again.

It's not easy recovering from these disasters. But these athletes' perseverance combined with the best treatment from top healthcare professionals has allowed them to get back on the fields, slopes, and waters that they live for.