When faced with an injury, the instinctive response for many individuals is to stop all physical activity and give the body time to heal.
While rest is indeed an essential component of recovery, completely stopping all forms of training might not be the best approach. In fact, modifying your training around an injury can offer numerous benefits and actually aid in the healing process.
At Ground Up Physiotherapy, we encourage you to continue training whilst managing around the injury.
We aim to shed light on the importance of training modification when dealing with injuries and explain why complete rest might not be the most effective strategy.
Benefits of Continuing to Train Around an Injury
- Maintaining Fitness Levels: Regular training contributes to your cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, and overall endurance. Completely stopping training can lead to a rapid decline in these aspects, making it harder to bounce back once you're ready to resume full activity. Modifying your training routine allows you to maintain some level of fitness without exacerbating the injury.
- Preserving Range of Motion and Flexibility: Immobilisation can lead to joint stiffness and muscle tightness, which may hinder your recovery and lead to long-term issues. By modifying your training routine to include gentle stretches and low-impact movements, you can preserve your range of motion and flexibility, preventing further complications down the line.
- Mental Well-Being: Physical activity is closely linked to mental well-being. A sudden cessation of training can lead to feelings of frustration, anxiety, and even a sense of displacement. Modifying your routine to accommodate your injury allows you to continue engaging in activities you love, helping maintain a positive mindset during the recovery process.
- Promoting Blood Flow and Healing: Controlled movement and exercise can stimulate blood circulation, promoting better delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the injured area. This increased blood flow aids in the healing process, reducing the recovery time compared to complete rest.
- Preventing Muscle Atrophy: Muscles can start to weaken and atrophy due to inactivity. By incorporating exercises that target unaffected muscles, you can prevent muscle loss and maintain better overall strength.
The Consequences of Complete Rest
- Muscle Weakness and Atrophy: Prolonged inactivity can lead to muscle weakness and atrophy, making it harder to regain strength once the injury has healed. Muscles that are not engaged can lose up to 10% of their strength within just a week of immobilisation.
- Loss of Cardiovascular Fitness: The cardiovascular system also suffers during periods of rest. Your heart's efficiency diminishes, leading to a decline in cardiovascular fitness. It can take several weeks to regain the level of fitness you had before stopping all activity.
- Joint Stiffness and Reduced Mobility: Joints can become stiff and lose their range of motion when not used regularly. This can result in increased pain and longer rehabilitation periods as you work to regain full mobility post-injury.
- Impact on Mental Health: Physical activity is known to release endorphins, which are natural mood lifters. Completely stopping exercise can lead to feelings of frustration, sadness, and even the sense of feeling lost. Maintaining some level of activity helps support your mental well-being.
- Delayed Healing: Contrary to common belief, complete rest may not always expedite the healing process. In some cases, controlled and modified movement can stimulate blood flow, oxygen delivery, and nutrient transport to the injured area, facilitating a faster recovery.
Guidelines for Modifying Training Around an Injury
- Consult a Professional: Before modifying your training routine, consult a healthcare professional or a qualified physiotherapist. They can assess your injury, provide personalised recommendations, and help you design a safe and effective modified training plan.
- Listen to Your Body: Pay close attention to your body's signals during modified training. If you experience pain that worsens during or after exercise, it's a sign that you might be pushing too hard. Always prioritise your body's recovery over pushing your limits.
- Focus on Low-Impact Activities: Choose activities that minimize stress on the injured area. Swimming, cycling, and gentle yoga are excellent options that can help maintain fitness without exacerbating the injury.
- Incorporate Strength and Stability Exercises: Strengthening muscles around the injury can provide additional support and aid in recovery. Work with a physiotherapist to identify safe and effective exercises that target these muscles.
- Progress Gradually: As your injury heals, gradually increase the intensity and duration of your modified exercises. This helps prevent re-injury and allows your body to adapt to increasing levels of activity.
Injuries don't have to completely derail your fitness journey. While rest is crucial for healing, it's equally important to modify your training routine to maintain your fitness levels, promote healing, and support your mental well-being.
Always remember that every injury is unique, so it's essential to work closely with a healthcare professional or physiotherapist to create a tailored plan that supports your recovery while keeping you active and engaged. By taking a proactive approach to modified training, you can return to your full activity level with a stronger body and a positive mindset.
Ground Up Physiotherapy is located inside a well-equiped gym in Belmore where you can be guided on how to manage around your injury whilst upkeeping your conditioning.
Book online to seek further assistance or email us to get an understanding on how you can start training again!
