Inured. Hurt. Broken. Sprained. Tweaked, twisted, torn.
These are words that incite fear into athletes of any sport, at all levels.
I've been fortunate enough to stay away from these descriptors for most of my life, save one defining period of my athletic history in high school. But in the past two weeks, a bevy of pains has descended upon me: a mysteriously swollen ankle, a debilitating pain all around my left elbow, and potential carpal tunnel in my right wrist.
Dealing with injuries is hard enough...but when you're not totally sure why or how they show up (all at the same time, no less), it's a bit of a trip. Frustration is compounded because they aren't serious injuries in the sense of having to wear a cast or being 100% out for 4-6 weeks...I can move well, I'm in the gym, but I have to essentially eliminate most (if not all) arm movements in order to adequately rest the areas and protect against severe, chronic injury.
If you've experienced these pains, you know that these types of injuries are more of a mental game than anything. So the real question is: is your mind strong enough to say "no, you should not lift that weight" when all you really want to do are those heavy cleans in the WOD? It's a delicate balance between knowing what your body needs (rest and recovery) and staying active in appropriate ways (creative scaling).
So, if you're like me and are dealing with acute injuries that are more of a hassle than anything, here are a few tips to really concentrate on to help get you through your recovery period:
I usually only go to the doctor for yearly appointments - because we don't get sick often at my house, when something happens, we usually just recover and recoup on our own (unless it's really serious). The same goes with a sprained ankle...I figured a little RICE over a few days would heal it all up. Nope. Because it's been almost 2 weeks, I've really started to listen to what my body is telling me: slow down. Take a break. I need to heal.
These are important messages to heed. If you continue to push through the pain, you'll never heal (at least not correctly), which can lead to greater problems in your movement, mobility, and capacity in the future. Ain't nobody got time for that!
In the same vein, your coach will know how best to scale movements according to your injuries (provided that you do the smart thing and tell them what's going on!).
This aspect has been the hardest for me - not listening, but being okay with the scaling. Between the right ankle and the left arm, it's tough to come up with comparable WODs, but it can be done. Normally, my main goal in every class is to Rx - to "be strong above all else." Not even being able to do the full movements (nevertheless at heavy weight) is a mental struggle, and a very frustrating one at that.
Conversely, if your coach thinks you can perform a movement safely, I encourage you to try it. I may be a bit of an extremist in some regards...if I have an injury, I can be tentative when it comes to stepping back in (I don't want to try too early and wreck myself). However, that extra little push to just "try and see if it hurts" once you've spent some time totally out can really help you on your road to getting back to the level you were pre-injury.
Use This Time Constructively.
Because playing with injuries is such a mind game, use that to your advantage. Work on your mental state - what are the mental hurdles you consistently have to overcome?
You'll mentally beat yourself up over getting hurt, question if it's even worth going to the gym while "hurt," and get beyond frustrated when you aren't healed in two days. But you can't let that stop you.
Although you may not immediately know what caused the problem, you know the affected area. So, you should spend time working on mobility of that area. Ask your coach what you can do to keep it active in a safe way, research proper positioning from some of the experts (KStar). You'll be surprised at how intricate and connected every piece of the body is...and if you can dedicate some time to working on getting just one piece of the body moving correctly, you'll be surprised at how much easier regular movements become.
Another area to work on? Concentrated skill sets. For example, if your arms are killing you, spend time on your pistols. If you have a swollen ankle, you could work on L-sits, ring dips, HSPUs, or practically anything on the bar (provided you can get up and down safely).
Let's face it: injuries suck. But they're an inevitable part of what we do (life, really), so we have to get over ourselves and give them the attention they deserve when they come up. While you definitely should consult a professional (doctor, PT, chiropractor) if anything really lingers, being patient with your minor injury recovery time should enable you to get back to your normal programming in no time!
