Becoming Disabled Through Sport: Embodied Memories of Pain

Smith, Brett and Sparkes, Andrew C. (2005) Becoming Disabled Through Sport: Embodied Memories of Pain. In: Narrative, Memory & Everyday Life. University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, pp. 135-141.

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Abstract

Drawing on data from a life history study of a small group of men (n=14) who
have suffered spinal cord injury (SCI) and become disabled through playing
sport, this chapter explores these men’s embodied memories of pain that were
experienced in a specific period of their lives. This period was the initial acute
phase of rehabilitation following SCI that they experienced between four and
20 years ago. During this phase of rehabilitation all the participants lived with
excruciating pain. Fortunately though, there comes a time when the nerve
fibers either outside (peripheral) or within (central) the spinal cord begin to fail
to transmit pain, which diminishes until specific areas of the body become, for
most people, largely, or totally pain free. This occurs approximately six months
after first experiencing paid and is possibly due to neurochemical changes that
may influence neuronal hyperactivity and pain perception. That said, pain is
not forgotten.

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