When it comes to fitness, there are few things more disheartening than being sidelined by an injury. Some of the most common fitness injuries come from overuse – doing too much too quickly or working the same muscles in the same way over and over without giving them time to rest. You can prevent most overuse injuries by varying your workout, using good form, wearing proper footwear, alternating high-impact exercise with low impact and giving yourself rest and recovery days. But what if you’re already injured?
When Not to Exercise
If you’re in constant pain, are having trouble bearing weight on a limb, heard a “snap,” “crack,” or “pop” at the time you were injured, have a knee that locks or swells, or have redness, see your doctor. You need to make sure you don’t have a torn tendon, ligament or another more serious form of injury. In this case, your doctor can give you guidance as to what’s safe to do and not do.
Even if you’re suffering from an overuse injury like mild tendonitis, modifying your fitness routine is necessary to allow healing. Some people try to “work through” an injury without altering their workout. Don’t do it. A mild overuse injury can take months to heal if you keep stressing it. An acute case of tendonitis can become a chronic problem that requires therapy if you don’t take a break. Plus, your risk of further injury is higher because an injury changes your form. The number one rule is to avoid doing things that aggravate the pain – but that doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t work out.
Modify Your Workout
If the injury involves your lower body, you may still be able to do seated dumbbell exercises to condition and strengthen your upper body. Biceps curls, triceps extensions, overhead presses, lateral raises are all exercises you can do in a seated position. Is cardiovascular training out? Not necessarily. Depending on your injury, you may still be able to pedal an exercise bike without discomfort. If that’s the case, a spin workout can help you maintain cardiovascular fitness. Spin workouts are non-impact -just what you need when your leg or foot is injured. The best indicator that an exercise isn’t okay is if it causes pain. Listen to your body.
With an upper-body injury, you can still do lower body exercises like squats and lunges as long as you don’t experience pain. For cardiovascular training, a step workout without the arm movements will give you an effective aerobic workout without aggravating an arm or shoulder injury. Again, let pain be your guide. Test all movements and make sure they don’t cause discomfort before doing them as an exercise.
Modified Circuit Training
If you’re injured you may still be able to do a modified circuit workout that doesn’t involve the injured body part. A circuit of upper body exercises circuit style will help you stay conditioned, especially if you do them with minimal rest between exercises. Likewise, you may be able to do lower body circuits if you have an arm or shoulder injury. Circuit training has the advantage of getting your heart rate up for aerobic conditioning.
Don’t Mask the Pain So You Can Work Out
If you’re chomping at the bit to work out, you might be tempted to grab a couple of ibuprofen to ease the discomfort and do your regular workout. Masking the pain so you can work out is a bad idea. You’ll delay healing and, even worse, injure yourself further because you’re forced to change your form. It’s really not a good idea to take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen before exercise even when you aren’t injured. A 2012 study showed exercising while taking too many these medications increase the risk for intestinal injury.
Watch Your Diet
If you’re not working out at the same intensity, your calorie requirements are lower. You’ll need to adjust your calorie intake to avoid weight gain. The reason some people gain weight when they’re injured is that they continue to eat as they did before their injury even though they aren’t training as hard.
Pay close attention to nutrition when you’re trying to heal an injury. Eating whole foods, lots of vegetables, herbs, and spices, may help the healing process because these foods have anti-inflammatory properties. Omega-3s in fatty fish also reduce inflammation. Tumeric, ginger, and garlic are three healthy spices that reduce inflammation. In fact, some practitioners prescribe turmeric supplements for osteoarthritis.
Another food of interest when it comes to reducing inflammation from injuries is tart cherry juice. Some research shows tart cherry juice helps in recovery from exercise by reducing oxidative damage and inflammation.
Resist the Urge to Jump Back in Full Force Too Soon After An Injury
Once you’re pain-free or have been given the okay by your doctor, “inch” back into your regular workout. Don’t try to work out full force like you were doing before the injury. Use weights that are lighter than you’re accustomed to the first week or so and gradually increase the resistance as long as you’re not in pain.
When Is It Safe to Return to Your Regular Workout?
It’s best to get a doctor’s advice if you have a significant injury. It’s usually safe to start working an injured body part again once the swelling is gone, you have a full range of motion and no pain or discomfort when moving it. Always start with light or no weight and gradually work your way back up.
The Bottom Line?
If you work out regularly, you worry about losing all of your fitness gains when you’re injured. By modifying your workout, you can maintain conditioning and still give the injured body part time to heal. Do it safely and don’t do anything that causes pain or discomfort. Healing happens fastest when you don’t ignore the pain and try to work through it. Don’t let a mild overuse injury turn into a chronic problem that nags you for months. It’s not worth it.
References:
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2012 Dec;44(12):2257-62. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e318265dd3d
American Cancer Society. “Tumeric”
Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2010 Dec;20(6):843-52. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0838.2009.01005.x.
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