Nobody wants to get injured. However, getting injured does not mean you have to put your training on pause. Rather, it can be viewed as a unique opportunity to re-evaluate and continue to pursue your health and performance goals in a new capacity. We realize it isn't always this quick and easy mindset shift to embrace the injury road and we want to acknowledge that it is okay to be frustrated, disappointed, or upset about the situation. The good news is control of the situation is not out of your hands completely. Rather, you can work with your healthcare team to take this opportunity to keep moving forward.
If you come into my office with a new injury or surgery, I am going to make sure your goals stay a priority. There are a lot of things you can do to work around the body part that is limited and you don't have to lose everything you've gained from previous training. Together, let's talk and discover:
1) Opportunity
- Evaluate Your Habits:
Let's assess your performance habits - how do you feel you are doing with your nutrition, sleep patterns, physical/sports literacy, recovery techniques, and mental skills?
Is there an area you haven't had at the forefront that you have been meaning to work on that you can start addressing now?
How has your performance training been going prior to injury? Were you happy with where things were at? Were you trying to change things? Is there anything you are wondering if it may have contributed to the current situation?
- Assess Your Priorities:
What were your goals prior to injury?
What does achieving these goals mean to you? In other words, if you are successful what does it look like and what significance does it have? Saying, "I want to get stronger," isn't enough. What does "stronger" accomplish in YOUR life?
Moving forward, do you want to have the same goals or have they shifted in some capacity?
How can what you do now reflect your priorities and values?
Which of the habits mentioned above can best help you achieve these things?
- Find Balance:
Together, let's determine what is medically safe and won't compromise your healing.
From the questions mentioned above and using your physical status, we will find the areas of the body, fitness, and performance we can focus on immediately. It won't be everything at once.
We will create a relative plan on how to slowly build up and integrate you back into your activities.
In addition, we will work on areas of your body and performance that may have been unbalanced, underperforming, or compensating prior to injury.
2) Cross-Train: I use this term more figuratively than literally; train other areas and you will inevitably improve your physical performance.
- Stay Connected
Getting injured can feel isolating at times. You are no longer participating in the capacity that you once were and it can be easy to feel left out or that you are falling behind. Continue to have a presence - whether that is still attending practice, being a leader on the sidelines, talking to teammates, coaches, other professionals, or friends.
You don't have to be alone through injury unless you want to be. There are lots of people to support you and it is not selfish or weak to call on them - this is why we build relationships in the first place!
Reach out to friends, family, and others to still have fun! Enjoying yourself during this time doesn't mean you aren't taking your recovery seriously.
- Get "Smart"
Be around the game - whether in person or watching film - learn how to read the activity so you can come back mentally quick.
Start to develop familiarity with technique - moving more efficiently and understanding what that looks like/feels can promote consistency in what you are learning.
Develop physical literacy - establishing a way to gauge your confidence, understanding of, motivation, and competence in your physical activities can help make you a more intuitive coordinator of your body and performance. Being able to interpret what you are feeling can lead to the decision making that needs to be done as your train. Do you need recovery or is it okay to push? Is what your are feeling pain that requires rest/someone to look at it or is it soreness because you worked hard? The list of questions can go on and on, but you get the point.
- Eat Well & Sleep
Gain control by eating well and getting enough sleep - Refer to our past articles for more information on either of these!
3) Modify
- Stay Active
Once we know your physical and medical situation - let's get you moving! With some creativity and application of various equipment and training methods, you can build strength, cardio, and develop athletically in most situations.
Research is emerging that there is a crossover effect for the recovering area when you train the "healthy" side - the body really is amazing!
Exercise routines can balance intensity and volume so fitness levels can be maintained or even built upon. Your routine may look different that what you are used to, but remember, the body adapts and grows when change and challenge are introduced.
- Have Routine
Routine can allow you to feel you are still an athlete. Carve out time to be active. One possible strategy is keeping workouts at the same times you used to, so your head sees that you are still working hard.
You may be incorporating rehab exercises into your day. Some athletes will want to incorporate them into their exercise routine, others may prefer keeping them separate. With guidance, experiment with what feels best for you from both a physical and mental perspective.
Intentional work can improve quality of your work. If you carve out time to focus on specific areas, you are committing to the process of change.
- Get Help
You are working really hard while recovering from injury! I am writing a whole article on all the things you can do to optimize this time as an opportunity to grow. However, you may not be an expert in all of these things, so turn to the people who are. Professionals specialize and dedicate themselves to these situations in hopes to not only help you reach your goals, but also make your life a little easier.
Help starts with communication - true and honest expressions with how you are feeling in the moment, concerns about the situation, and discussion about what you hope is on the other side of this injury.
Help allows you to work smarter. Burning the candle at both ends can slow recovery. We have to respect what your body is going through, therefore, allow others to ease the burden where it can be made easier and support you where it is challenging.
4) Build Back Up
- Carry Over Skills
Take what you have learned in your recovery and integrate it back into your performance.
Once rehab or physical therapy ends, don't simply drop what you have been working on, certain concepts and or exercises will likely continue to have a purpose in keeping you strong and healthy moving forward.
Have confidence in the consistent habits you have formed during your recovery, they will likely still apply as you return to activity.
- Have a Plan
People don't just dive back into where they were prior to injury. There is a process to returning that can require a little patience, time, and deliberate action so you don't push too hard or too soon.
Having a plan can help guide your return, but do not be tied to exact dates. Return to sport or activity is like riding a wave, there will be times you feel you are making great progress and all is right with the world and at other times you may feel you are hitting a wall or aren't as prepared as you could be. The wall does not mean lack of progress, it is giving us valuable information about the steps we need to take next to get you where you want to go.
Be patient with the process, no return is the same for any two people. We have expectations about where you may be at, but nothing is a guarantee.
- Increase Steadily
With an injury we need to protect and promote healing, develop motor control and consistency, and skillfully reintroduce challenge. As your return to activity, keep your training routine balanced with varying conditions, while building volume, tolerance to load, intensity, and endurance to tasks. The more conditions you train and prep for, often times, the more ready you are for "real-world" situations.
Increases in your training load usually occurs in 5-30% increments per week (depending on the athlete, activity, and circumstances). These aren't big chunks, so prepare yourself that it may take some time.
Communicate. Confidence. Consistency. The more we build these areas, the better prepared you will be for your return.
We hope you can see that having an injury can be very productive. It can be a long and challenging road, but it can be very successful and beneficial in many ways. Please let us know how we can help you during your injury!
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