I was thinking about how people get injured and why and what happens to them afterwards and wanted to share my thoguhts.
Growing up living on a couple acres of land with dirt bikes and ATV’s playing hockey and baseball and then eventually spending a decade in the combat sports world had my life filled with injuries big and small. The funny part was that I never let them stop me from doing what I loved. Let me give you a little list of things I’ve had.
Multiple Concussions including being hit in the face with a baseball bat, Falling on my face after coming off a big Jump on Blue Mountain that left me colour blind for hours and being uppercutted so hard during sparring one time that my nose was shifter on my face. I’ve broken fingers, toes and multiple ribs from punching, kicking and being knee’d in the ribs. I’ve dislocated my elbow falling downstairs, I’ve dislocated my shoulder driving my TV into a tree and dislocated my jaw being kicked in the face. I’ve torn my biceps tendon, supraspinatus and labrum, I had a hip injury that lasted over a year and a half they could never figure out and strained a lot of ligaments over the years, crazy right? Thats off the top of my head.
Now there’s two basic types of injuries, 1. Acute (typically with contact) and 2. Overuse (using something tell it breaks down and can’t repair. The first type is like when I got smoked in the face with a baseball bat, something extrenal came and did damage to my face and head. The second is my hip injury, squatting 4-5x a week HEAVY over months months of training led to overuse injury in my hip.
The second version of injury is a lot more preventable than than the first with proper programming, loading and de-loading, the first are typically “accidental” or in combat sports just a part of the game. But in like in anything if your trying to push your limits you’re more likely to be injured in the process. So how do you deal with injuries?
First off you should see a professional to diagnose you and give you a plan for healing and recovery, then seeing someone who can help you do the rehab and then back to play after.
The 2nd thing you need to do and MOST people don’t is STAY IN SHAPE! The worse thing you can do when your injured is sit around and hope it goes away while you eat more and train less, you gain weight, you get out of shape and it makes the recovery process so much longer!
When you work around the injury you can focus on weaknesses in a different part of your body. Three amazing things happen when you do this. 1. You’re getting blood flow going regularly which helps with healing, it also helps with keeping your hormones healthy. 2. Mentally your more stimulated and happy, allowing for a all around better recovery experience and 3. When you get back to working out full steam you are already in good shape and the process is so much faster.
We have some awesome members and clients who are following this right now and reaping the benefits of it. My client Rob pushes through no matter what pops up and having a serious hip injury hasn’t stopped him from getting his work in. Paul (gangsta P) from 6:30 class is working through a shoulder tear which I’ve given him programming to do. Heather is doing a 6 week Challenge right now while working through a shoulder injury from the cottage in the summer.
Your injuries shouldn’t make you worse they should make you better, make you grow and be stronger, the adveristy should make you double down and want it more than ever.
If you need help navigating just let me know! That’s why I’m here!
-Coach Dan