For someone used to combining playing international hockey for England and Great Britain with a part time job at a top investment banking firm, being forced onto the sidelines for almost a year due to concussion was never going to be easy for Simon Mantell.
But on the eve of his first tournament back since the incident, the forward admits the experience has helped reinvigorate his love for the sport.
Concussion is becoming an increasingly hot topic in sport, especially in physical sports such as rugby which has seen England’s Mike Brown and Wales’ George North – boyfriend of Great Britain’s double world champion cyclist Becky James – endure enforced layoffs this year,
Mantell can share their pain – both physically and mentally – after a collision with a defender while playing for Wimbledon last October led to him suffering post-concussion syndrome.
At the time of the incident, he thought little of it but in the days afterwards, the headaches and blurred vision started to occur.
Those days turned to months with the 2008 Olympian unable to do anything that would stimulate activity in his brain – ranging from hockey, work and any activity that would raise his heart rate too high.
Finally, 362 days after the incident, he returned to play for Reading at the start of October while the upcoming Hockey World League Final starting in India on Friday will be his first international tournament since winning bronze at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
“It was a frustrating period for me off the pitch,” reflected the 31-year-old.
“For me, it was completely different to any injury I had had in the past.
“I had to stop any form of training and just rest to get things back to normal. At times I felt fine and then others days not so much. It was a real learning curve.
“Injuries are an occupational hazard of sport but with a head injury you have to take your time and make sure you are ready.
“I’m very lucky to do what I do, but sometimes you could maybe take it for granted.
“When I first got back to playing full time again, it was almost like my love of the game had been rejuvenated. I’m just enjoying being back playing.”
With Great Britain head coach Bobby Crutchley opting to rest a number of high profile names for the World League Final, Middleton will be one of the most experienced players with a total of 194 combined caps.
The competition gets underway in Raipur on Friday with Great Britain in a pool with Australia, Belgium and Canada.
And Mantell is confident, despite the changes in personnel, that the team can challenge for top honours.
“With the Olympics a year away, it’s important to make sure we have a good depth to the squad," he added.
“We have to make sure we have players who have had experience of top level competitions.
“In any England or Great Britain team, you will always be looking at going for medals.
“The fact that we have got a slightly less experienced team does not change things. We have proved the last three years that we can compete against every nation.”
© Sportsbeat 2015