I have several clients currently that, for whatever reason, are nursing injuries back to health. Some injuries were caused during training, some by over-training, and some just being clumsy around the house.
Whatever your injury situation is, it can have a negative effect on your workout schedule, your routine, and in harder cases, your life. We’ll talk a little about what to do if you have an injury, how to nurse it back to health, and what you can do to avoid getting injured again.
Let’s start with the last one, first! Injuries happen and there is no point trying to be that person who avoids getting injured at all costs. Runners know eventually you’re going to come across a pothole that somehow you didn’t see, and you’re going to twist an ankle, or worse, a knee.
It doesn’t have to be that extreme either. Those brand new shoes you bought that look awesome? Yeah, about the five-mile mark you start to feel rubbing, and voila… you have the mother of all blisters on your Achilles.
Weightlifters or people who do general strength training are the same. About a month ago I injured my back pretty good. While my wife, Stephanie, just grinned and said it was part of being over 40, I preferred to think it was just over-working specific muscles and I just wore out.
Whatever your injury situation is, you MUST rest up and take it easy. This doesn’t mean you need to stop working out, but the injured joint or muscle must remain inactive as much as it can. Continuing to train on an injury can have significant negative effects, and in some cases can lead to far bigger problems.
You can still train though! If you’ve got an ankle injury, then hit the weights. Same in reverse: You have a shoulder or wrist problem, well, get out there and pound some pavement, or take a spinning class or something that will enable you to exercise without using the injured joint. If you have a bad back, or an abdominal strain, it is going to be much harder to find something to do without using that area. Some injuries are not easy!
The other is to get professional help. If you’ve got an injury, and especially if it is one that is not going away very easily, or with a few days rest, it’s time to see someone who knows what they’re doing. At the studio here in Scappoose we refer clients with injuries to the wonderful folks at Erhardt Therapy. Get it looked at! You’ve only got one body, so look after it!
Another thing to remember – and this is a tough one for people to understand – is don’t baby it. What do I mean by this? Well, once the injury is healed, or to a point where you can use it again, don’t shy away from it.
I know people who have had knee injuries. They can be scary at times, and in some cases those people are terrified of more leg injuries. That’s normal, but you have to start working out that joint. In the knee example, get some squats in. Slowly at first, but then start working the muscles around the injury. Avoiding that joint will cause two issues. The first is that it won’t get better if you don’t build the muscles around it. The second is that you’ll put undue stress on other joints because they’re having to make up for the one you’re holding back.
Whenever you have an injury, it sucks! Taking the right steps to repair yourself and get back to good health is so important in every case. Have fun working out this week, and stay safe!
Simon Date is a personal trainer and co-owner at NW Premier Fitness in Scappoose. You can reach him at 503-381-3528, info@nwpremierfitness.com [1] or facebook.com/NWPremierFitness [2] .
References
- ^ info@nwpremierfitness.com (nwpremierfitness.com)
- ^ facebook.com/NWPremierFitness (facebook.com)
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