Could injury be a blessing in disguise?

I dont wish injury on anyone and in an ideal world I and everyone else would go through there whole life with no injury and no problems, we could go on for ever just being active, training and only stopping because you had a choice or simply had one of those days where you couldn't be bothered!

However we cant avoid it and at times we all get niggly injuries or at worst long persistent ones where we dread the thought of losing condition and think that all our hard work has gone down the pan. Firstly it could be our mind playing games, as we wont lose anything drastic for a few weeks, secondly if you have been training non stop for months even years with no injury could it be that the break in habit is what drives people crazy and not so much the fact that there is a stop in activity or training? What if the injury can make a regular trainer fitter or in better words, more hungry?

The old school saying of the person that 'wants it more' will win is true to a point, obviously fitness levels play a part. However someone returning from injury is likely to 'want it' more than anyone and by the return of this hunger can take a huge leap forward. As if it's a one step back two steps forward attitude. It's as if an athlete that has been injured understands that 'it' can be taken from you at any time thus makes them appreciate it much more.

Sometimes I wonder when people say: 'I wonder how far X could have gone if it wasn't for injury?'

Could it be that X has got as far as they have because of the hunger that came with the forced time off? Maybe not but it's definitely a thought and all I think is that people need not panic when injured because the future can still be good!

Again im not wishing injury on anyone and I would absolutely hate a long stretch off but I think there could be a link with muscle memory from previous training and the combination of the brains hunger bigger than it's been for months!

Who knows really. but I think there's a link at times.