Dealing with Injuries

Injuries are my worst nightmare. The only thing worse than not being able to do fun stuff because you are trapped at work/school is that you can't physically do the fun stuff! Sadly, chances are you are going to get injured at some point in your life regardless of what activities you choose to do, so it's good to be able to have a game plan to deal with the horrors that follow the initial pain. I find it rather hilarious that most of my worst injuries happened when I was doing something normal rather than adventurous, like stepping off a sidewalk, stretching, or playing street hockey for fun.

I'm currently suffering from a recurrent SI joint strain that happened while doing a warm up route rock climbing. Mentally it's been challenging not being able to partake in my normal stress release activities, as well as, the added stress of missing work. This is what I call the Injury Snowball Effect - an injury leads to more of a sedentary life and prevents you from following your regular routine, which increases stress and causes more muscle pains, which leads to more injury in other areas and mental distress, and so forth. I have had to deal with my fair share of injuries in the past so I've put together some of what I've learnt for you here so that the Injury Snowball Effect doesn't happen to you.

Arm/Shoulder Injuries:
You can pretty much continue your regular life with the help of a sling and pain killers. As long as it's not your dominant arm you won't have any problems writing or eating. Typing on a keyboard might take a bit longer and working a labor intensive job is a no go, but you otherwise got the best injury you could have asked for. Keep yourself active by doing low impact cardio activities like walking (outside or on a treadmill) or using a recumbent bike (the ones at the gym where you can lean on a back rest so you don't have to use your arms at all). You can also do squats, lunges, and core exercises (on your back) without much difficulty to keep your body moving and strong.

Foot/Ankle/Knee/Leg Injuries:
With crutches and a way to immobilize your injured area (brace, tensor bandage, or cast) you can pretty much keep moving around and being independent. Your pro is that you have full use of your hands, but your con is that you will probably be spending more time sitting down. To this I say that it is important to move you body when you can to keep your back and neck from tensing up. Roll your shoulders, twist side to side, and stretch your neck often. Most gyms will have weight machines that will allow you to sit down (some are even wheel chair accessible) to complete core and upper body exercises safely.

Pelvis/Hip/Back:
These are the worst possible injuries as they will prevent you from most work. Depending on the severity of the injury you could be confined to bed, or if you're lucky, you could be able to get up and move around with some discomfort. Contrary to the last generations' treatment for back pain (staying in bed) it's important to try to move as much as you can without causing further injury. When you're able to try to move your body and get to know it - which movements hurt, which movements don't, and which movements actually feel good. Typically back pain is increased when you lean over as it puts a lot of stress on your back muscles. This makes getting out of bed or up from a sitting position difficult. If possible you can try moving your knees out in more of a plie or sumo squat position when standing up from sitting as it will allow you to keep your back erect and place less strain on the back muscles.

You will be more sedentary so you must think about your eating habits too. Make sure you don't overeat and that you have nutrient dense meals. You will feel better by eating more fruits and vegetables and less foods with sugar and starches. Your body will also require less calories and more vitamins and minerals to heal itself.

Busy yourself by taking advantage of your forced "vacation". Try those things that you kept pushing further down your list, such as, learning a new language, playing your old instrument or learning a new one, cooking/baking, making crafts, writing stories, calling old friends, or reading that book that's been sitting on your shelf for a year. If you are going to watch a movie make it a big deal - make the popcorn and a fancy beverage, invite friends over, and get cozy with a blanket.

Summary:
1) Take care of initial injury by listening to your health care professionals (REST!)
2) Take care of the rest of your body by moving as much as possible by stretching and exercising the other parts of your body in a balanced way (with the OK from your doctor).
3) Take care of your mind by keeping busy and stimulated. Try new things, stay social with friends, and find alternatives for stress release.
4) Take care of your soul by remembering that YOU WILL HEAL and life is just offering you an opportunity to focus on other things (most importantly, your Self).