Injuries Really Hurt

During a conversation with my coaching client, the topic of injuries came up. They were dealing with a few nagging injuries that made it very difficult for them to continue with their routine. The frustrating part about this for them was that they were not able to do as much as they wanted to do. The frustrating part for me was that the injuries were nagging.

I found myself getting frustrated because the injuries just wouldn’t go away. Why wouldn’t they go away? Well, they kept coming back, or really, they never fully healed because my client refused to give them time to do so. I can understand wanting to get out and go. I can understand not wanting to rest. I can even understand thinking that an injury is better, when it is not fully healed yet.

I’ve been there. I have dealt with injuries. In my athletic career, I dealt with injuries from head to toe. Thankfully, they didn’t all occur at the same time, but it seemed that there was always something wrong that I had to rest. Unfortunately, many of the injuries couldn’t be rested, so I just had to push through. But there were some injuries that I couldn’t just push through.

When there was a more serious injury, I simply couldn’t play. That was the reality. A trainer or doctor would say: if you continue to play, you will cause more damage and you will be out even longer. That was a pretty clear message. Basically, the lesson for me was: the sooner you stop and rest, the sooner you will heal and the better thing will heal. This wasn’t always an easy lesson to take, but it was better than missing more games in the future or dealing with more pain as an injury kept coming back.

My clients have gotten this lesson when things were more serious. The problem is not with serious injuries. The problem is with minor injuries. Things that they can simply fight through were the ones that they tried to ignore. The problem when they didn’t want to take time away from their routines is that eventually these minor injuries can turn into major injuries.

It doesn’t happen overnight. I’m not trying to scare anyone off the road or away from the gym. I’m simply reminding you that even little aches and pains can become serious issues if they are not taken care of. Taking care is the key when it comes to injuries. If you don’t do it, you can be out much longer than you think.

Often taking care of an injury is the difference between a minor set-back and a major hurdle. One of my clients thought they were just dealing with a minor strain. Months later, he was still dealing with it because he wouldn’t give it time to heal.

Time isn’t the only thing that helps injuries. The following ingredients may be what you need to keep on track, even if it means staying off until your injury has healed:

Ice it- Icing your injured area can help you recover more rapidly. The cold provides short-term pain relief and also limits swelling by reducing blood flow to the injured area.

Wrap it- Ace bandages or braces can give you added support during movement. Compression is a great way to limit swelling while you are resting.

Elevate it- holding the injured area above the heart can help reduce swelling as well

Stretch it- doing movements that simulate your exercise or sport can help you assess the severity of the injury and help you get back to it by easing into it. Stretch the injured area lightly and slowly so you don’t feel any pain. Keep the range of motion within your limits too, so you don’t re-aggravate it.

There is no magic cure for injuries. Major injuries need medical attention and even surgery. Minor injuries often just need time to heal. The key to remember is that the longer you are out, the more the injury will hurt you. It may not cause more physical pain, but injuries can make it very difficult to reach goals. Not reaching your goals can hurt a lot.