TRAINING AROUND AN INJURY

If you have ever done any sort of exercise, physical activity, or any sport in your life, you have probably dealt with injuries in one way or another. Injury is a pretty broad term, but this can be anything that causes significant trouble to your activity level for longer than a few days, typically. Injuries can also vary in type from chronic injuries like tendonitis or acute injuries like rolling an ankle or tearing a muscle. In any form, they can cause us to lose our consistency with our routine of physical activity. Instead of letting this derail your progress or stop activity overall, there are plenty of ways to work around an injury. 

First, We Must Assess The Severity Of The Injury

For example, let's say you work out at your gym two times a week and one day you play pick-up basketball. One day you roll your ankle playing basketball at the gym. Your ankle is pretty swollen, and you go to see a physical therapist about your injury. They tell you it’s a sprain and that it’ll take 3-4 weeks to heal properly. Initially, you might think you have to stop all activity to let the injury heal. Although you have made a lot of good progress the last year at the gym and playing basketball. You don’t want to lose any progress and would like to maintain as much of it as you can. Your PT says you can put weight on your foot so you can stand, but no jumping or rapid side-to-side movements. 

The First and Best Thing to Do

The easiest thing to do first is go back to the gym and figure out what you can do with your other 3 healthy limbs as well as core work. Your gym has plenty of machines, some that you can sit in, and some that let you use one leg at a time. This is especially helpful considering there is research on an exercise benefit known as cross education. This is just a fancy way of saying that training one limb of the body, in this case your opposite leg, can allow some nerve signals to reach the injured side, allowing you to maintain some strength and capability in that limb while it's recovering, pretty cool honestly. As far as basketball skill, you can still work on shooting mechanics and dribbling drills that involve remaining stationary. 

When Recovery Is Longer Than Expected

Now, if the injury is more severe and requires a longer recovery time, it is important that you work closely with your PT to ensure you’re following a long-term plan. There will most likely be milestones to hit within your current limitations. It is important to stick to this protocol and listen to your PT’s advice. They want to see you get better just as much as you want to. The goal should be to do as much as you can with what ability you have. If you feel a little lost sticking to a plan during an injury, book an assessment with one of our coaches at PFP to help you stay active during your recovery time.