Training Around an Injury
For over a month now, I've been dealing with some knee pain, and it has got me reflecting on training around an injury.
Last winter, I dealt with an overuse injury in both of my arms/hands, trigger finger in both of my pinky fingers, and nerve impingement in my chest/arms. I would wake up with my hands so stiff and in so much pain that I couldn't open or close my fists. I had to run my hands under warm water before I could do anything in the morning. Even simple tasks like brushing my teeth or combing my hair were painful and frustrating. When I first went to the doctor, they thought it was rheumatoid arthritis, for which they took blood samples and xrays of my hands. When the blood work came back negative, I was relieved. The GP that I went to took a look at my (admittedly) dainty hands and said something along the lines of, "These aren't the hands of a weight lifter... You should take up dance." I could not believe it. (That was the first and the last time that I went to that GP.) I tried a few doctors until I found one whose goal was the same as mine: to get me back to my sport pain free. Little by little, things started to feel normal again. Every once in a while my hands will get stiff or tingly, which reminds me to scale back my training intensity or volume a bit. It also reminds me that we heal, things improve, and that a bump in the road is not the end of the road.
I'm currently on the mend from some pain in both of my knees, and I've been seeing a doctor who understands how important it is to me that I'm able to continue lifting, both now and in the future. I've been able to get in a few leg days over the last 2.5 weeks, although frustration usually creeps in towards the end. Nothing feels "right", I have trouble finding my groove, and I feel tight and weak. But it's important to me to stay positive. My strength may not be where it was, but I'm being patient and not giving up. I hit legs yesterday, and I'm super happy to report that it was the best leg day I've had in literally 2 months since I first started having issues.
If you're currently dealing with an injury or any sort of setback... Be patient. You will get back to where you want to be, but it takes time. Stay positive. You may not be able to do all of the things that you want to do, but you can at least do some other things. Don't give up. Give your body rest, give yourself time, but don't give up on whatever sport or activity that makes you feel alive. Find ways to work around it, seek help, take responsibility for your wellbeing, and keep that passion alive until you are back to 100%.
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| The ultimate roller... Hurts so good! |
Last winter, I dealt with an overuse injury in both of my arms/hands, trigger finger in both of my pinky fingers, and nerve impingement in my chest/arms. I would wake up with my hands so stiff and in so much pain that I couldn't open or close my fists. I had to run my hands under warm water before I could do anything in the morning. Even simple tasks like brushing my teeth or combing my hair were painful and frustrating. When I first went to the doctor, they thought it was rheumatoid arthritis, for which they took blood samples and xrays of my hands. When the blood work came back negative, I was relieved. The GP that I went to took a look at my (admittedly) dainty hands and said something along the lines of, "These aren't the hands of a weight lifter... You should take up dance." I could not believe it. (That was the first and the last time that I went to that GP.) I tried a few doctors until I found one whose goal was the same as mine: to get me back to my sport pain free. Little by little, things started to feel normal again. Every once in a while my hands will get stiff or tingly, which reminds me to scale back my training intensity or volume a bit. It also reminds me that we heal, things improve, and that a bump in the road is not the end of the road.
I'm currently on the mend from some pain in both of my knees, and I've been seeing a doctor who understands how important it is to me that I'm able to continue lifting, both now and in the future. I've been able to get in a few leg days over the last 2.5 weeks, although frustration usually creeps in towards the end. Nothing feels "right", I have trouble finding my groove, and I feel tight and weak. But it's important to me to stay positive. My strength may not be where it was, but I'm being patient and not giving up. I hit legs yesterday, and I'm super happy to report that it was the best leg day I've had in literally 2 months since I first started having issues.
If you're currently dealing with an injury or any sort of setback... Be patient. You will get back to where you want to be, but it takes time. Stay positive. You may not be able to do all of the things that you want to do, but you can at least do some other things. Don't give up. Give your body rest, give yourself time, but don't give up on whatever sport or activity that makes you feel alive. Find ways to work around it, seek help, take responsibility for your wellbeing, and keep that passion alive until you are back to 100%.
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