Both prior to and during my time as a fitness professional, my body has sustained a couple of injuries – welcome to life! I’ve got one in particular which likes to remind me that the body part is never going to be as it was pre-injury, and I’ve learned over time that it’s a case of strengthening it when it’s fit, and being patient when it’s not. It flared up recently, and I took a slightly different approach in managing it this time, which I thought I’d share.
Important things to note
I’m very much NOT a doctor. I’m a personal trainer. Below, I’ll share my experience of my own body, and some of those things you may be able to apply to your own. I’ll make sure they’re clear – they will mostly be tips for how to adapt your training if you’ve got something that needs to be rested. If you are in any way concerned about your own body, please seek personalised medical advice, and follow said advice regarding treatment and recovery.
What happened and where my injury is at
Many years ago, I took a drunken tumble down some stairs. Fortunately, things were no worse than wounded pride and torn ankle ligaments, but the latter is pretty annoying. Back in 2017, when I still felt the urge to run occasionally, I re-did it in fine style whilst attempting a 10km run and, on that occasion, went for a precautionary x-ray and ultimately sought physiotherapy (which I also wish I’d done the first time around).
Now, it sometimes seems to just choose to swell and feel weak, and at other times I trip over my own feet and disrupt the forces in that joint. Which is what happened in February. I knew immediately that I was in trouble, and felt really annoyed that it had happened yet again. Then I hauled myself onto the rehab treadmill and got to work
What works for me in terms of injury rehab
I find that each incident differs slightly. Some of it depends on where I’m at with my fitness in general – if I’m aiming for a particular goal, and how my training is going. This time was particularly frustrating as I was in the middle of a week off from training, which I’d foolishly delayed for too long. It also meant I had a few days to plan what I was going to do.
Due to the week off, I was raring to go and didn’t want to limit myself, so I decided to get creative. For me, any explosive movements or things which put too much load or flexibility through that joint are immediately out. It quickly becomes unnervingly limiting for someone who likes a broad range of movements in their programming. I find that even the number of seated or supported lower body exercises I can do is suddenly very few, so this time I figured out a way to try different things.
I looked up a few kneeling lower body exercises (the number of them is surprising!) and added them in to my routine. The good news is that my upper body and core exercises aren’t impacted, so those plans remained in place. Walking is my main cardio anyway, so although I had to be slower and a bit more cautious, it wasn’t off the menu. The final thing to add was rehab exercises – some of the ones that I learned at physio are things I find very useful, so I brought them back into play.
Slow and steady wins the race
And then it’s just a case of getting to work, and trying not to get upset about the things that I can’t do. I am mostly incredibly privileged and healthy, so I try my best to approach training with that mindset – of exercise being about what my body can do, and nudging it a little bit further, rather than getting frustrated by the things I can’t (yet) do. I’m not a naturally patient person either, so it’s always a challenge for me to remember to trust the process, and let my body do its job of healing. Often, it feels like the universe is kicking me into touch, and reminding me that I can’t live life at warp speed constantly!
Moving beyond recovery
With a recurring injury, I now know each time when I’m ready to pick activities back up. I know how my body feels when things are improving, and how far I can push it, so I waited a few weeks, dedicating myself to the process, and then planned some other exercises back in. I kept the load and intensity low, and tested my body out, working my way back to where I’d like to be.
I also reassess at each stage of the process: have things stayed the same or improved? Have they got worse? Do I need to seek any other help? I check in with myself regularly to make sure that I’m still making good decisions. It can be hard to trust your body again once you’ve been injured, and that’s why for me proprioception exercises are key – to challenge my body enough and remind my brain that we can do it.
For many of us, injuries are a fact of life – it’s how we respond that really matters.