COM Outlook Winter 2020

20 | DR. KIRAN C. PATEL COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE physical agony, the IMG Academy withdrew its scholarship, forcing Nikolic to grapple with the unexpected realities of his new, basketball-free life. “The worst aspect of my injury was not the excruciating, sweat-in- ducing pain, but what it meant. It took me away from the basketball court and put me in physical therapy, rehabilitation centers, and doctor’s offices,” he explained. “For the first time in my life, I was out indefinitely. What I found most frustrating was that no doctor could give me even an estimated recovery period.” After more than a year of suffering through conventional therapies, such as physical therapy and painful cortisone shots that yielded no tangible improvements, Nikolic decided to try traditional and complementary therapies. Unfortunately, a series of acupunc- ture and chiropractic treatments, as well as a visit to a spa in Serbia that offered therapeutic hot springs and medicinal mud, failed to produce the desired results. “These therapies helped to a certain extent, but none of them were enough to get me back on the basketball court. The biggest lesson I learned was that I was expecting each of these treatments to be the magic pill that would suddenly cure my chronic injury,” he said. “After this epiphany, I started taking more control over my own physical and mental health, and that is when I started seeing the greatest results.” Changing the Dream The next few years were difficult ones for Nikolic, who found himself enmeshed in a web of depression as he suffered an identity crisis related to what his future would entail. “Once I realized I might never be able to play basketball competitively again, let alone on a professional level, I was devastated. I thought it was not fair, as I made many sacrifices and invested enor- mous energy into my career,” he explained. “Without basketball, I felt lost,” he added. “I even tried coaching for a while, but it could never match the intensity of engagement, satisfaction of improvement, fulfillment of winning, or the ecstatic experi- ence of the team spirit.” When he turned 20, Nikolic began the difficult process of looking inward and reinventing himself in the aftermath of his dashed dreams. “This was the first time I went to psychological therapy, even though I was aware of my depression ever since I was injured,” he explained. “I remember sitting in a doctor’s office when I was 17 and reading one of the depression posters while waiting to see my physician,” he continued. “It had a list of about 10 symptoms, and I was experiencing at least 6 of them. I thought my depression was circumstantial and would go Alex Nikolic revels in the beauty of Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah. Nikolic, top row, far right, celebrates with his teammates after a tournament during his sophomore year. Net the Difference (continued from page 18)