This is a subject that NRG feel particularly passionate about. Injury rehabilitation is something that almost every athlete, make that everybody, goes through at some stage. If you are set in your ways of toughen up, push through the pain and think time is the best healer then please, please, please don't read this. This is for the open minded who want the best for their recovery and ultimately the best for their body. So read below the Do and Do Not's of rehab in the view of NRG.
The Do List:
Relax... Often injury brings a whole lot of confusion, questions, grey areas and worrying. Relax. Take a deep breath and assess the whole situation.
Surround yourself with the right people!.. Find a Sports Therapist/Physio/Sports Doctor that you trust and believe will do the best for you.
Listen... Speaking from a therapist's point of view, there is nothing worse than a patient or client unwilling to listen to PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE THAT THEY HAVE PAID FOR. If you are not taking in the advice you are being given, then do you really want to recover?
Be adhering... When you have been given rehabilitation exercises to be done in your own time, then please take the time to get it done. Unless you are seeing your therapist three to four times a week, then doing rehab in your own time is a must.
Be brave... Without a doubt you will find day's in your rehab where your body/injury is acting up. Maybe your joint is more swollen, your movement is restricted or your pain is increased. This is natural, without a doubt, so do not be put off by bad days. Strive for the good days!
Don't fear movement!... Everyone should have pain free movement restoration as their ultimate goal. Sadly you won't get there from being bed bound and "resting the problem". You need to move as much as you can!
Prepare to be uncomfortable... When completing your rehab, your injury is not going to be easy to recover from. The exercises you are given are going to highlight areas of weakness which you may or may not know you had. You are going to stress your body in a different way to what you are use to which will make you feel uncomfortable. This is normal, don't worry, just remember that this is for the greater good.
Embrace the challenge!... Recovery from some injuries can be a real challenge, lingering back pain, degenerative hips, frozen shoulders etc can cause life changing issues. But don't let this get the better of you. Take the issue on head on! Find a way to manage the pain, find what movement is the best for you, find how you recover best, find a way to live a normal life.
Have a question? Ask your therapist!... They are there for you, they will listen and they will advise. If you have any questions, don't be scared to send a text, drop an email or make a phone call. If your therapist doesn't get back to you then I thoroughly recommend finding a new therapist. Do not ask google as I have mentioned earlier!
This has only touched the surface of rehabilitation and how to handle injury. It will be a frustrating journey, but the end result you will learn so much about yourself you will almost be happy you went through the discomfort!
Now for the negatives, the do not's of rehabilitation. Sadly you see this a lot within the community.
Do Not List:
Ignore the issue... Don't be a hero, no need to toughen up. Accept that you have an issue that needs addressing. Ignoring that is going to make it worse and worse. From a therapists point of view, nothing is worse than someone coming in with an injury that they accumulated six months ago, something that clearly should have been addressed.
Ignoring advice... If your therapist is warning you against certain movements and exercises then please listen. They are doing it for your benefit and your recovery! Not listening may make the situation even worse.
Neglect the exercise prescription... These exercises have been hand picked and designed for your benefit again, they might be boring, they might be uncomfortable, they might be time consuming. But taking the time out to complete them for your recovery must be high up in your daily to-do list.
Negative Mindset... Yes I appreciate that suffering from pain is dreadful and injury interrupting your lifestyle is frustrating, but don't let this get the better of you. Think of all the things you have recovered from, the challenges you have faced. I am sure recover from injury is minute in comparison. Keep the chin up high and be positive.
Neglect The Rest of Your Body... When recovering, your body needs as much help from you as possible. Good nutrition (higher protein), good sleep (7-9 hours), low stress (relax), lots of water (4L ideally) and more. If you can get these fundamentals right, the body will react positively!
Read up on symptoms online... You have found a therapist for a reason, to help with your injury. If you think he/she is wrong, then get another human opinion. Do not go online and research into your symptoms and how it may be this or that. The internet cannot test or assess your body like a therapist can. So find a therapist you can trust and buy into what they are advising.
Treat Rehab as a Chore... Do not let the rehab become a chore, if you are finding the exercise remedial or boring, then ask for ways to make it harder or more challenging from your therapist.
Over Do It... When you are injured, there is usually a reason for it. You either have a traumatic injury (been hit by a car, sporting trauma) or a common injury. These common injuries are due to a poor movement pattern been repeated excessively, resulting in a bodily break down. So now you have an injury, there is no need to keep over doing it. People who over train around injuries and don't slow down are the one's who find that their rehab can take even longer.
As we said earlier, this is just touching the surfaces of negative rehabilitation. There are so many poor examples of approach to rehab and it starts with mindset. If the mental approach is positive, you buy into the therapists rehabilitation plans, alongside patience and perseverance - you will beat this injury!
Having your own rehab problems? Feel like you are struggling with recovery? Feel free to either leave a question in the comments section below, or phone/email us now! NRG are here to answer your questions as well as we can. Look forward to hearing from you.
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