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Writer's pictureTara Pickham

Is It Ok To Train While Injured?

Unfortunately injuries are part of training and part of life. Despite our best efforts, the chances are that at some point we will sustain some form of injury. This can make us stop and reconsider our training practice. Having an injury doesn’t have to mean that progress towards your health and fitness goals must be halted. It simply means that you need to be smarter about how you approach your training through your recovery period. Given proper consideration, training through an injury can actually speed up recovery time and have you back on top of your game sooner. Below are some tips you can apply to ensure you go about your recovery period in a safe and efficient manner.

If It Hurts, Don’t Do It.

This would seem to be obvious, however must be said as listening to your body is the key to a full recovery. It’s common to experience small aches and pains or even DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) as a result of your training. That being said if you are experiencing pain or discomfort the smart approach is to stop what you are doing and asses your symptoms before proceeding. This can help you to identify if this is something minor or a legitimate injury. We all like to be tough and suck it up or even just avoid acknowledging there is a problem all together in fear that this will hinder your training and progress. This kind of attitude can cost you more time out further down the track or even lead to long term chronic pain and limited movement. Once you feel the injury is healed and you are ready to return to training, try to refrain from jumping back into your routine where you left off. Give yourself an opportunity to test the limits of the injured area by reducing the load and intensity of your training sessions. Identify if the muscle is fully healed by gradually testing range of motion and progressively increase load back to previous standards. This allows the muscle to regain strength. Trying to push the boundaries before your body is ready can be detrimental to a complete recovery.

Follow The RICE Method & Seek Professional Medical Advice

Treatment will differ according to what injury has been sustained. Some will be more serious and therefore require a longer recovery period. The RICE method is an effective way of treating many sports related injuries in the more immediate term. RICE stands for the following:

R– Rest

I– Ice (20min on 20min off as much as possible for the first 24-48hrs)

C– Compression

E– Elevation

This method may be recommended as part of the ongoing treatment for the injury; however it is best to seek professional medical advice from a doctor or physiotherapist. This allows you to gain a clear diagnosis of the injury. Once diagnosis has been given an appropriate treatment plan can be recommended. Keep in mind that some more severe injuries may require more immediate or emergency medical aid. It is important to follow the instructions of medical experts during the treatment process. Listen to your body and don’t try to cut corners just to be back into full swing before your body is ready.

Keep Moving

As most of us realise, there is a certain amount of rest that is required in order for an injury to heal. However, once you have been given clearance from your health care professional movement will actually aid in your recovery. Having an injury can do more than just directly damage the muscles, ligaments or tendons. Injury can also disrupt the proper function or your immune system. This is where movement comes into play. Movement encourages blood flow around the body and to the injured site. This stimulates the exchange of waste and provides nutrients prompting the reproduction of cells therefore speeding up recovery. Aerobic conditioning aids the livers fat oxidation capacity which clears out waste products from your immune system. This improves your recovery rate. Communicate with your medical advisor to ensure your return to activity is prompt but appropriately timed.

Be Smart & Modify Wisely

Before your return to activity, it is important to take some time to consider how your injury will impact the way that you train. The type of injury that you have will determine what limitations you may have and in what way you will need to modify. I would encourage you to work within the guidelines of the treatment plan that has been given to you by your health care professional. Some modifications will be clear, for example if you have suffered a rotator cuff injury your training will generally have more of a focus on lower body development. Each individual will need to modify according to their needs, however try to keep things simple and work on the technique of each movement, reducing load where required. Injury also provides a potential opportunity to focus on weaknesses which in some cases would normally be neglected. Follow a stimulus that prioritises reduced load, higher repetition and proper breathing techniques.

Nutrition

Many people don’t realise that good nutrition is important for injury recovery. In order for your body to heal itself it is crucial that you feed it with all the appropriate nutrients. Injury can mean that your activity levels drop and therefore so will your recommended daily calorie intake. It is still vital through this period that you monitor what’s going in and going out to ensure that adequate intake is met and that inflammation promoting foods and saturated fats are limited. As per usual it is best to limit the consumption of processed foods at this time. Eat predominantly foods that speed up recovery, for example foods that are rich in protein, fibre and omega 3 fatty acids. People who struggle with poor eating habits should use this occasion to dial in their nutrition. Injury doesn’t have to be the end of the world. Sometimes injuries can be a blessing in disguise. Sure no one wants an injury but often injuries make us slow down and ask ourselves “why did I get injured”. This in turn makes us reassess our technique and helps us to identify weaknesses that need to be improved on. It can also encourage us to spend some extra time on other aspects of our health and fitness i.e. nutrition or flexibility. Injuries can help us to become more in tune with our bodies. If or should I say when you experience an injury, don’t wallow in your own self-pity. Have a plan and ensure you keep working towards your goals.

xx Tara

Have you had to change your routine for an injury? Let me know in the comments below. Join our PAC and book in a time to see the gym and chat about your health and fitness goals.

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