Getting Back on Track after an Injury

I had just gotten my copy of Tony Horton’s P90X workout program delivered to my door a couple of days ago.  Of course, the first thing I did before actually starting the program was pop in the first video in order to check out the routines.  The first routine was on Chest and Back exercises and Tony and his crew did a great job of getting me motivated and itching to get started.

Then wouldn’t you know it – I got hurt and had to take a week off from working out.  Here’s what happened.

I was doing my usual Kickboxing routine and was on the speed-bag really making it “sing.”  I was having a great workout and my muscles were really feeling good.  Right next to the speed-bag station was a 4′x4′ square plywood box standing on end.  The box is there so that some of our younger students can have something to stand on in order to reach the bag.

Anyway, somehow I must have nudged the box rocking it forward while I was concentrating on hitting the bag.  The box slammed down hard and caught my foot right on the big toe.  You might as well have hit me with a hammer – the effect was exactly the same.

At first, I couldn’t feel anything but a tingling numbness.  It’s like when a bell rings – you hear the initial “gong” but then you continue to hear a “ringing” sound for quite a while afterward.  My toe felt like it was “ringing” – and not in a good way!

First priority – find out if anything is broken. I gritted my teeth and tried to flex my toes.  OK, I can move my big toe with no problem so no broken bones.  That’s a relief.  However, the “ringing-numbness” sensation is beginning to wear off to be replaced by a throbbing sensation.

Second priority – get some ice on it and elevate it to reduce swelling. Anytime you have an impact injury, the capillary blood vessels in the affected area usually rupture quickly filling the area with blood.  That’s why the area begins to look dark red or purple.  In my case, my toe started looking like a cherry tomato.  As the blood and fluid leaks into the damaged area, it swells creating pressure on the surrounding tissue and nerves – that’s what caused the “throbbing” sensation.  Getting an ice pack on my toe and elevating my foot within 5 minutes of getting hurt really helped to keep the swelling, and the pain, down to a tolerable level.

Common practice is to put an ice pack on the area for 10-15 minutes, and then take it off for 10-15 minutes before putting the ice pack on again.  That should keep the area cool enough to reduce swelling without risking frostbite.  Follow this schedule as often as you can for the first 24 hours.

Third priority – give it time to heal. Walking was really painful the following day, and the day after that.  However, I took things slow and kept my foot elevated as often as I could.  Keeping the area protected from further bumps and damage was also important – especially since wearing shoes was painful so I went barefoot as often as I could.

Unfortunately, this part you can’t rush.  You’ve got to give your body time to heal.  In my case, I was off my feet as much as possible for an entire week.

Fourth priority – keep exercising to the extent you can. Now, that doesn’t mean I sat on the couch and munched potato chips all day.  I still worked my upper body by lifting weights 3 days a week.  I just couldn’t do any running or jumping since my foot was out of commission.  To the extent possible, rest the part that’s injured, keep exercising the part that’s not.

Yes, I know that there are some injuries (like back or stomach injuries) that hurt no matter how you move and in those cases, lay off the exercise completely.  However, if you’ve got an arm or shoulder sprain, continue exercising your lower body.  Knee or foot injury?  Keep doing chest, arms, and back exercises.  Use some common sense but keep exercising to the extent you can.

Why try to keep exercising?  Two reasons.  First, exercising will take your mind off the part that hurts.  That’s a huge benefit all by itself.  Second, exercise will elevate your heart rate increasing the blood flow to the hurt area.  This will (in my opinion) significantly speed recovery time.

My bottom line is that I went from hardly being able to walk to resuming my Kickboxing routine (without the kicks of course) within 7 days of getting injured.  The key to getting back on track with your routine after an injury is to keep your priorities straight!

Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

P.S.  Be sure to get my latest Fitness Blueprint called “Little Things That Improve Your Health.”  This ebook is packed with loads of helpful information on how to build a better body and you can get it FREE – for a limited time.  Just click on the title to be taken to the download page.  Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: fitness, injury, recovery, rehabilitation, exercise, health, soreness

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