5 Reasons Why your injury rehab isn’t working
If you keep these in mind you’ll heal much faster!
Being a personal trainer, kinesiologist, and recipient of many injuries, I know how difficult and exhausting the process of recovery is. Through my experience in both professional and personal contexts, I’ve gained a deep understanding of what it takes to truly expedite your recovery and get back to wellness. While every case is different, several principles can be applied to nearly every situation to give the best shot at success. Today I want to introduce 5 of these tips to help you in both a psychological and practical sense.
Here’s to not only improving your recovery time but also getting into the driver's seat of your health and wellness as a whole.
Dissecting the Injury Recovery Process
Before we dive too deep into things, I do want to be sensitive to everyone’s situations. I’m not claiming that the advice below will apply to 100% of cases. Pain and injury are so complex that even the most knowledgeable experts still have questions. Instead, simply view this as honest advice from both a health professional and a fellow human being after many years of learning and growing in this field. With all that being said, take what you find useful and leave the rest.
Without further ado, here are 5 reasons why your recovery isn’t going quite to plan. These are hard but useful truths to digest. There are no shortcuts here. Nevertheless, I wish you all the best in turning things around!
1) You’re rushing things.
Each injury has a timeline. While you can often use physio-related exercises to expedite your recovery time, there are often times when you need to let your tissues mend and heal before doing anything too active. This is especially the case for accidents like breaks, tears, and sprains. While you may think it looks tough to get right back to activity while pushing through pain, it’s actually quite foolish in the long run. Stick closely to the prescribed timeline of your health professional and most importantly, listen to your body…it’s a great teacher.
2) There’s a misunderstanding.
When working with patients there are often times when simplifying instructions and cues is necessary. While health professionals should never assume that a patient has the same amount of knowledge as them, there are cases when they fail to recognize an education gap (myself included). If the patient doesn’t have the courage to speak up, they’re often left taking their program home with question marks. This can potentially lead to misunderstanding exercises and hitting new setbacks. If you’re not 100% sure what your doctor or physio is saying, don’t be afraid to ask questions!
On top of this, do your very best to share all relevant information about your history and current injury situation with your provider. After all, you know your body better than anyone else. Viewing each appointment as a collaboration will ensure you can the most effective, relevant health care possible. Additionally, don’t be afraid to ask for tweaks in the programming as you progress. Oftentimes there is reason to change directions or speeds throughout the process.
3) You’re not doing the prescribed work.
While this one may seem obvious, it’s often the biggest mistake I see my clients making. At the end of the day, if you want results you must put in the work to get there. You cannot simply expect to visit a clinic once and be healed. You need to get in the driver’s seat of your health and take responsibility for any homework that’s prescribed to you. Being passive in your health journey will spell disaster so accept the challenge of attacking your injury head-on.
4) Your mind is working against you.
One of the most powerful influences on your recovery is your thoughts and emotions. As best as you can, remain positive, patient, and calm throughout your recovery process. Take a deep breath. Give yourself a little break when you need to. Don’t forget how far you’ve come and where you’re heading. Remind your body that you’re in control and that no matter what roadblock comes up, you’ll get through it.
Pain and healing are so intertwined with the nervous system that you simply can’t afford to approach your training with fear, frustration, or other emotions that burden your body. While you won’t be perfect, the simple act of keeping this in mind can go a long way to encourage your body to heal quickly and safely. You’re going to be okay!
5) You’re comparing yourself to others.
Your journey is your own and no one else's. No injury or body is quite the same. After spending many years in the fitness community, I notice that many people have a knack to share their own injury stories and give tips that helped them recover. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, please keep in mind that you’re writing your own story. Stick to the advice you’ve been given by professionals and trust that staying in your own lane will be best in the long run. This doesn’t mean you can’t empathize with and support others, however. This just means you need to make boundaries that allow you to focus on yourself as well.
In Closing,
There you have it, 5 injury tips that can deeply impact your injury recovery process and get you back to feeling like yourself as soon as possible. No journey will be perfect, but you can certainly give yourself the best fighting chance by consistently applying the advice above. Never forget…you’re doing great and you’ll get through this!
You got this.
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