Pain and Gain, with Lindsey Vonn

About This Episode

You’re at the top of your game and you get injured. Now what? On this episode of StarTalk Sports Edition, Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Gary O’Reilly and Chuck Nice are exploring injury recovery and rehabilitation with Lindsey Vonn, Olympic gold medalist skier, and Shona Halson, exercise science professor at Australian Catholic University and Director of the Australian Olympic Committee Recovery Centre for three Olympic Games.

When did athletes start to focus on recovery? Shona explains how recovery became a fundamental part of the entire athlete experience. You’ll learn why the best regimens depend on the athletes and their sport. Lindsey shares some details about her recovery program during competition. 

Lindsey tells us about how she dealt with serious injury both physically and mentally. We investigate pain tolerance in athletes vs. non-athletes. How big of a part does motivation play in recovery? Which are better, warm baths or ice baths? We investigate cryotherapy. And, is it true that you are what you eat? Shona tells us how sometimes athletes attach to trends.

Discover more about wearable technology. What works? You’ll learn why it all depends on what you do with the information. All that, plus, Shona shares why sleep and nutrition are the foundation for a good recovery.

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free.

About the prints that flank Neil in this video:

“Black Swan” & “White Swan” limited edition serigraph prints by Coast Salish artist Jane Kwatleematt Marston. For more information about this artist and her work, visit Inuit Gallery of Vancouver.