EMOTM for 15 minutes:
1 Hi-Hang Snatch + 1 Snatch
Pushing Through Injury.
Being injured is no fun. At Roots, we do everything we can to avoid it. We nitpick technique; scale judiciously; and spend the extra time to address our mobility issues. But sometimes, it rears its ugly head even in spite of our best efforts. When it happens, it can be devastating. On the mild side, injury can derail our training and push us off course. If it’s major, it can impact our health and life in far more serious ways. If you’ve ever been injured enough to force you to take significant time off, you probably know that it takes a psychological toll as well.
Frequently we get asked if it is ok to workout if you are injured. Unfortunately, we can’t answer that for you. Every person and every injury is different. But often, the answer is “ABSOLUTELY YES”! In many cases, movements can be modified to spare your injured component. Your coaches are happy to help you figure out the best substitutions or modifications to get you the gist of the workout while allowing your injury to heal. If the workout is just incompatible with your working faculties, we will help you come up with a rehab version of the workout to at least get you moving, get some blood flow to the injured area, and hopefully speed the healing process. So don’t let it keep you away. Get to the door, check in with the coach, and do something for your mind and body.
By the same token, if your injury or illness needs you to take time off to heal, you are wise to listen. Continuing to train and put stress on an injury that is not getting better is an all too common trait of committed athletes. Denying an injury exists will not get you any closer to being 100% and can often set you up for more serious injury and a longer layoff. And if you do find yourself on the injured reserve for a few weeks, don’t drown your sorrows in pizza and a 6-pack. Put some extra energy into the other components of health and wellness. Catch up on your sleep. Dial in your nutrition. Dig into mobility work. Develop a skill.
Post to comments and tell the community how you’ve used a forced layoff to come back better and stronger. There might be some injured athletes that could use a dose of encouragement.
A couple of years back I suffered from a sports hernia that prevented me from straining too hard. I spent the next couple of months dialing in Paleo and working a lot on the rings. When I returned I found all of my old pr’s exactly where I had left them.
I’ve also worked with a lot of injured athletes and most of them are shocked at what they’re still able to get done while being injured, and further amazed by how the correct exercises actually makes their condition better. At first glance Injuries seem like setbacks but when approached properly they can actually put us much further ahead than we would have been otherwise.
I’ve only had one major injury (knock on wood) and it was running-related. In my time off, I did physical therapy and took the opportunity to learn everything I could about my knee. Turns out I had been training for a marathon incorrectly, hence the injury at mile 13 of the race. I now view any sort of injury, even minor ones, as educational experiences.
When I had my stress fracture this summer, the improved strength and endurance CrossFit had given me made the crutches way more bearable. I stayed away from Roots (~1 mile crutching every day was enough of an arm workout) and used the time to improve my swimming. I do wish I’d come back to Roots sooner after I was off crutches, but was waiting until the doctor cleared me to at least row. I think the pre-injury CrossFit training, and getting back into it post-injury, helped my physical therapy go quickly and smoothly.
(and having played ice hockey and crossfit-ed on the injury for a month before I finally got it checked out I can definitely second “Continuing to train and put stress on an injury that is not getting
better is an all too common trait of committed athletes. Denying an
injury exists will not get you any closer to being 100% and can often
set you up for more serious injury and a longer layoff.” Whenever I got super frustrated waiting for it to heal, I just kept reminding myself that the better I was at taking care of it, the quicker I could get back to everything I was missing.)
I had knee surgery last March. After I was cleared from PT I was back at Roots in April. I couldn’t do everything, but I started slow and made sure to really push myself with the things I could do. Even though I couldn’t do the weights or movements I was previously able to do, the best decision I made was to come in and work through the stiffness and lack of mobility. We are lucky to have great coaches who know how to scale to our needs and abilities. It’s not like that at other gyms.