How to Maintain a Training Effect While Stuck on The Shelf
Sport injuries get us all. Recreational, amateur and professional alike. How can you continue to stay active and compete while injured?
Injuries. They suck. They hurt. They prevent you from competing at your best. And worst of all: they are inevitable - bound to happen to all of us at some point, whether a recreational athlete, weekend warrior, amateur runner, sedentary desk worker or professional athlete. You do your best to bullet-proof your body. You work on your mobility, get in ample cardiovascular training and work on strength building exercises on the regular. You do everything in your power to stay healthy and injury-free.
And yet, at some point, we all pay our penance. It is an unfortunate reality.
The question is, what are you going do when it happens?
The Upside of Injury: Opportunity Knocks
“Take care of your body, it’s the only place you have to live.”
A torn rotator cuff can put a pitcher on the disabled list. A case of sciatica sending quivers of shooting pain down the back of the leg can rapidly shelve a triathlete. The immediate reactions are often emotional: Fear, anger, sadness. These feelings creep in, quickly becoming overwhelming.
Once you’re done processing the emotion of having to shut down and take time off sport, it becomes time to look at the injury from the other side. Maybe it was just a fluke accident. Or maybe all the aches and pain in your life, all the repetitive strain and trauma you’ve ignored has led you to this point. Perhaps now is the time to finally get your body working properly, ensuring all your joints, muscles and the nervous system is working at full capacity.
Repetitive micro-loading and overuse of tissues without proper care and maintenance can directly or indirectly result in injury. And the majority of us do a poor job of looking after ourselves. So perhaps the injury was a blessing in disguise. A chance to reset and do right by your own physical vessel. Do yourself a favor and take the view from the other side.
How to Positively Use Injury: Exhibit A, B and C
No one wants a team of surgeons cutting into flesh. But how you view the injury and comeback makes all the world of difference.
A lifetime of golf has left Tiger Woods in shambles. His list of surgeries and noted injuries are lengthy and gruesome. He’s had numerous comebacks along the way, and most recently (and to the surprise of many critics), won the Tour Championship in 2018.
In 2005, San Diego Charger quarterback Drew Brees tore the labrum and rotator cuff of his throwing arm in the final NFL game of the season. This can be a death blow for an NFL quarterback, but Brees came back, signed with the New Orleans Saints, and has gone on to a Hall of Fame career.
In 2011, superstar running back Adrian Peterson tore the ACL and MCL of his left knee. For an elite running back, this can be a career-ending injury due to the loss of mobility and stability for cutting motions. Peterson came back in only 10 short months, and he came back better than ever, going on to one of his best statistical seasons and a pro bowl appearance.
The Path is Rocky
Once the initial shock of injury and time off from sport fades, it is time to start the rehabilitation process. As difficult as it may be, there are tips and tricks that can ease the process:
Get your head on straight: The injury is the end of you only if you let it. See exhibit A, B and C above. The careers of Tiger, Brees and Peterson could very well have been over.
Inspiration of famous athletes that have suffered the same injury as you can provide motivation and examples of others that have walked the path you are about to embark on.
The road back to health can be long or short, but it will most definitely feel rocky. There are ups and downs. Good days and bad days. Hours where you feel accomplished. Moments where you feel like you are doomed. Ride the roller coaster, but don’t let your highs get too high, or your lows too low.
Most importantly, start rehab ASAP. The second the last stitch goes in is the moment rehab begins. Gentle early movement and loading is quickly becoming the gold standard for injury and rehab. This can’t be overstated. See a qualified manual therapist who can help guide you along the way.
You can always do something: A shoulder surgery doesn’t preclude you from doing some reverse sled pushes or belted squats. A lower body injury doesn’t preclude you from working on mastering your chin-ups. There is always something you can do in the gym. Get going.
Most importantly, recognize how you got here in the first place. How well do you look after your own physical body? Be honest. Did you see this injury coming? Have a qualified therapist assess the way you move and see if there are movements and underlying joints that don’t move as well as they should. Try to avoid disaster before it strikes.
Injuries are tough to swallow, but with a little bit of effort, you can come back healthy, and with the right guidance, better than ever. Go get after it.