It can be tempting to want to get right back out there after you first begin to recover from an injury. You may think that because you do not feel any immediate pain anymore, or that it is much more manageable, that it is time to resume working out and playing sports as you did before. This can be very dangerous, as most of the time, an injury needs more time to heal than what it might seem like. In this article, fitness insider from Buffalo, Christopher Lee, will go over how to safely resume working out without exacerbating the injury.
Consult Your Doctor
Before resuming exercise, meet with your doctor and get his or her professional opinion if you’re ready to start exercising again. If you have a physical therapist or other professionals that you’ve been working with, talk with them as well. These people are there to make sure that you don’t hurt yourself, so you should listen to what they have to say no matter how much it inconveniences you. Until the pain, swelling, and stiffness have all improved significantly, you should not be returning to your previous activities.
Make a Plan for Recovery
Something very helpful that you should make with your doctor is a recovery plan. Work with them to create a slow and progressive series of exercises and activities that will eventually return you to your original workload. It should be focused on giving your body as much time to recover as possible and minimizing physical strain.
The Recovery Plan
Every plan is going to look different, but there are some things that will be common across most of them. If you’re only looking at a recovery that lasts a couple of weeks at most, then you may even be able to continue to exercise right away, just in a different area. In case of a longer recovery, you may need to be resting a lot more. Many athletes will use this time to cross-train or focus on areas that they normally don’t. Eventually, though, you will slowly resume what you were able to do before. By the time you return to your normal routine, you will be in better shape than before your injury.
Examine What Happened
Now that you have a good understanding of how long it will be before you’re back to 100%, you should start examining how you got here in the first place. Was it a matter of you pushing yourself too hard? Were you exercising normal precautions? Was it just a fluke that was out of your control? Whatever the case may be, you should try and take something away from this experience to not end up in the same situation again.
Mentally Preparing Yourself
Waiting for long periods of time can be very hard to deal with mentally for somebody who just wants to get back out there. The reality is that pushing yourself too quickly can have dangerous consequences, ranging from slowing your recovery to outright worsening the injury. Remain optimistic about your situation and understand that this period of waiting is for your own good. You should be focusing on the present and not worry too much about what’s coming in the future.
Christopher Lee from Buffalo, New York, emphasizes to his clients that most injuries are temporary. Remember that you will be able to return to doing what you love soon enough. All you need is to have patience and not rush your recovery.
About Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee is a certified fitness trainer from Buffalo, New York. Christopher specializes in designing workout plans for clients that make them look and feel more athletic, helping them avoid injury. Mr. Lee emphasizes a healthy diet and lifestyle so clients can fuel properly to get the most out of their workouts and reach their fitness goals. When he is not working with his clients, Christopher Lee can be found at a hot yoga class, practicing martial arts, or spending time with his friends and family in Buffalo.
