Trinity Rodman: Back Injury Causes Constant Pain

Trinity Rodman's Journey Back to the Field

Trinity Rodman, a standout member of the U.S. women’s national team, recently spoke with the media for the first time since taking a break from the NWSL season with the Washington Spirit to address a long-term back injury. Rodman has returned to the D.C. area and has been training with the Spirit over the past few weeks. Her progress has been notable, moving from a mix of team exercises and individual drills to being able to participate in a full session on a particularly hot day at the Inova Performance Center in Leesburg, Va.

"I'm just happy to be back and actually in team trainings and not coming back on the side from step one," Rodman said with a smile after training. She was candid about her time away from the Spirit, admitting that some habits may have contributed to the back injury that first appeared during her rookie season.

"I think for me mentally, it was really hard," Rodman shared. "Now being better and fixing the problem — I can now kind of openly say I was in pain all the time — working through that was difficult. I'm a pretty positive, happy, energetic person in general, and even when I'm not, I'll hide it and still be happy... It was very difficult, and I think too, trying to function through pain, and kind of gaslight myself to thinking it was fine every day, when it wasn't."

Rodman credited the Spirit for the trust they've placed in her to take control of her recovery process, something she admitted is challenging in any team environment. "I think a lot of things in team sports are uncontrolled individually, just because you kind of have to look to the medical [staff] like, 'Oh, what do I do? What's happening? What treatment am I doing?' I think the trust I've had in them, but also the trust that they've had in me, to allow me to look on the outside and figure out who needs to help me, and not having a power trip like 'I'm the only person that can try to help you,' and I think that's been really good for me."

A Learning Experience

The California native described her experience as "a big learning lesson," especially when it comes to looking after her body and communicating exactly where she's at with coaches and trainers. "Everyone's not gonna need the same activation or strength conditioning, and I've learned that," said Rodman. She added that part of her lesson in the last three months is "finding the certain strength and conditioning that I have to do, certain little muscles that I need to work that other people [don't] need to work."

Rodman noted that there wasn't one moment where she was suddenly pain-free, but the constant pain from her back subsided "a couple months" ago. This development has had a major impact on her day-to-day life. "Not feeling that pain has changed my life, honestly. I've been an even happier person, so that's really nice. Just the way that I function on a day-to-day basis, and not even the soccer piece. Just the walking around, doing things around my house, being a normal person. So yeah, I'm really happy about that."

Balancing Health and Career

With all the good news, it's tempting for Rodman to dive right back into action as the Spirit host the Portland Thorns on Sunday. However, she admitted she wants "to get 90 minutes in this weekend against Portland," but acknowledged that it's not the best idea at this early stage. Despite her past scoffing at the idea of being labeled a veteran, Rodman is approaching her return to fitness with the measured patience of a far more experienced player.

"These first couple games back, we're talking about how to progress," explained Rodman. "It was stupid, thinking short term, I was like, 'I really want to play in this game! I really want to play in this game,' and then long term, it messed me up." She emphasized the importance of understanding her body and acknowledging days when it's in pain or more sore than others.

Adapting Her Game

Continuing on the theme of taking a longer view, Rodman said that part of staying healthy is going to be changing her game, finding ways to be more judicious while staying true to the qualities that have made her one of the top players in women's soccer. "I said it in such a depressing way before: 'I'm never gonna be [the same],' joked Rodman, making light of her own words after a Spirit win back in March. "I'm still gonna be Trin. But, I think the way that I would throw my body around [before], maybe not. Maybe just being smarter about certain tackles, certain runs, certain 50-50s."

Contract Talks and Future Plans

While Rodman had to deal with rehabbing alone, another major career development came and went: her Spirit contract ends at the conclusion of the NWSL season, and teams in the U.S. and abroad are now allowed to approach her with offers to carry on her playing career elsewhere. Washington CEO Kim Stone recently told reporters that Spirit owner Michele Kang is leading the team's negotiations over a new deal, expressing optimism that all parties could reach terms that keeps the Olympic gold medalist in D.C.

Rodman described the situation as "a weird situation" for that to come up while she's also been dealing with an injury that seemed on some level to be one that could impact her entire career. The idea of testing the market is also a new experience for her, as she was selected second overall in the 2021 NWSL College Draft and agreed to a long-term contract extension in February 2022, well before the option of leaving on a free transfer existed.

"This is the first time I've kind of been in a situation where it's like, 'What's happening?'" admitted Rodman. "Dealing with this injury the whole time, like I barely played. So, it is a weird situation. I'm trying not to stress about it or put too much pressure on it, because at the end of the day, I'm worried about health first, and then everything else can come next."

Rodman's current deal is down to its final months, and it's only natural that big-spending European powers like OL Lyonnes (another Kang-owned club), Chelsea, and Arsenal would have interest in a player of her quality. However, ask the player, and you get an answer that reflects the same kind of newfound perspective that she has picked up battling injury. "I'm just going with the flow like everybody else," said Rodman. "I'm not too concerned about it at the moment, I'm just worried about getting healthy, getting my minutes, and then I can really sit down and figure out kind of what my game plan is."