Family Health & Fitness: Dealing With Injuries

“Hello darkness, my old friend, I've come to talk with you again…” – Simon & Garfunkel

Sooner or later if you are participating in consistent exercise or athletic training, you are going to sustain an injury. Sometimes it’s something minor like a mild sprain and sometimes it might be a little more serious like a broken bone.  And if you’ve been active your whole life (or for any sustained period of time) you know the searing kiss of pain from reinjuring something that healed long ago.

Here are 5 keys to dealing with the inevitable injuries that crop up from an active lifestyle:

1.) Don’t ignore it and don’t try to train through the pain. There is an old mentality (that is especially prevalent in Martial Arts circles) that one should train through pain and eventually the injury will heal itself. After all, if you’re mentally tough, you won’t even notice the pain. This is a great way to make sure your injury never heals properly and pave the way to a chronic health problem. Pain is your body’s none-too-subtle way of letting you know that something is wrong. Listen to your body and deal with injuries right away.

2.) Seek professional help. If you have an injury or a nagging ache or pain that is impeding your ability to train, go see a doctor. Some folks are more comfortable seeing a chiropractor or a sports medicine doctor for injuries and that’s fine – just go see some sort of qualified physician. The internet can be a useful educational tool, but please don’t try to diagnose yourself. There’s no quicker way to get to a proper diagnosis and a treatment plan than seeing a licensed professional.

3.) Don’t get down on yourself or the situation. Sometimes it can seem like a devastating blow when you have to shut it down for a while – especially if you are the type of person who trains several times a week or you are close to accomplishing a major goal. It is easy to start feeling sorry for yourself. Try to remember that “this too shall pass” and there are plenty of people with serious health problems who would gladly trade places with you in a heartbeat. Yes it is frustrating and yes it probably happened at the worst possible time, but focusing on the negatives is not going to serve you.

4.) Don’t give up. Some folks use an injury as a reason to give up training altogether. Even when they get better, the fear of getting re-injured or the discomfort of proper rehabilitation can shelve people for life. While it is true, you may need to train a little smarter or temper your workout plan, it is also true you could get injured stepping off the curb or driving a car. Don’t give up on a fitness-based lifestyle just because of a bite from the injury bug.

5.) Get creative.  In most cases, an injury won’t prevent you from doing some form of physical activity. If you have an upper-body injury, concentrate on lower-body workouts for a while (and vice versa). If you refuse to be denied you will find some form of exercise to participate in despite your injury. It may not be your first choice, but remember this concept: “a little bit of something is better than a whole lot of nothing.”

One of my favorite quotes is by author and motivational speaker Wille Jolley who says, “A setback is a setup for a comeback!” Remember that you have “comeback power” and while injuries are frustrating you can choose to use them to set up your comeback. Consider NFL quarterback Drew Brees. In the final game of the 2005 season, Brees seriously injured his shoulder by tearing his labrum and rotator cuff.  In 2008, he led the New Orleans Saints to a Super Bowl victory and was named the Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of The Year. Stay positive, do the rehab and set yourself up for a comeback!