General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Coping with reduced activity due to injuries? Rss Feed  
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2014-07-20 10:29 PM


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Subject: Coping with reduced activity due to injuries?
Hello all, does anybody have any advice on how to cope dealing with injuries?

I had a bad bike crash in April of 2013; ended up with tendinitis of my left wrist, horrible muscle spasms in my shoulder. I was already dealing with a bad case of ITBS at that time, but was cross-training to give myself time. The crash basically left me doing nothing for the next 5 months. I went through surgery in September, and about four months of PT. I finally started bicycling and running in April and swimming in May. My physical therapist discharged me.

Things were going well - and I was building up bit by bit - until a month ago, when I tweaked my Achilles tendon walking down steps. I couldn't bike or swim without making things worse, so I focused on my shoulder PT at that time. I may have taken it a bit too aggressively; for the last week I've had consistent spasms, even with LIGHT activity (as in the lowest-resistance theraband). I am probably going to call my surgeon and get a referral back to PT - hopefully I haven't screwed anything up. Haven't done any cycling/running for over a month, and the last time I swam was 2.5 weeks ago. The gains I've had since April are shot.

Any suggestions on how to push through this mentally? All the injuries are incredibly discouraging. Activity has been the main way I've managed my stress/depression for years and the last year has been the most inactive I've ever been in almost fourteen years.


2014-07-21 12:29 AM
in reply to: sentient.couch

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Subject: RE: Coping with reduced activity due to injuries?
sentient couch,

I'm sorry you've been going through what you've been going through. I can relate to you because I've been there. I trained really hard a couple years ago for a HIM and then I suffered 3 injuries that took me out for a very long time. Shoulder, knee and achilles. It took around 18 months to finally get to the point where I could start running and cycling. My achilles felt fine but my knee was giving me slight pain sensations and kept me from really training at the intensity that I wanted. My shoulder was feeling ok, but when I started doing very light exercise with light resistance bands, my should started hurting again. This was after 18 months of rest. It was very demoralizing.

Ultimately what helped me get over the pains I was having was to change my focus from thinking of the pain as being caused by a physical issue and instead focus on my state of being (i.e. my stress levels, my personal happiness, my way of dealing with life). I learned to practice mindfulness meditation and some relaxation techniques. I changed how I was approaching some very complex things in my life. I came to terms with some difficult situations (and people). I also worked on eliminating the fear that I had. The fear of the pain... the fear of my body being injured. Slowly but surely, the more I did this and began working out again, the less pain I felt in my shoulder and knee. Thankfully, the pain is pretty much gone now and I have resumed my training plans.

I noticed you mention stress/depression as things that you are aware of in your life and that exercise is your way to alleviate these things. I've come to a greater understanding that while exercising our body can positively affect our state of mind, our state of mind can also positively affect our body. Our bodies can reflect stress/depression in the form of pain and other conditions. I think most people know that stress can cause an ulcer. There is research that is showing that stress can also cause real pain. So if you find ways to deal with the stress/depression (other than exercise) you might find that the pain subsides. Mindfulness meditation, journaling, visualization, positive affirmations are a couple of examples of things that can help. You can Google some of the leading experts as a starting point for more info: Dr. Howard Shubiner & Dr. David Hanscom.

Hope that helps you as much as it's helped me.

EP

2014-07-24 4:20 PM
in reply to: sentient.couch

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Subject: RE: Coping with reduced activity due to injuries?

I was out most of 2010 and the first part of 2011 with a torn Achilles.

I was in a boot most of the time.  My doctor let me go to the gym, but I could only use upperbody machines where I was seated (seated bench press, shoulder press, rowing, etc.) That got pretty boring real quickly.

I was very nervous about gaining weight due to my inactivity, so I joined WW online.  It helped me to better manage my diet and instead of gaining weight, I was actually able to lose about 15 pounds.

I was fortunate also that had other non-athletic hobbies that could keep me busy.  I love to read, and I enjoy building wooden ship models, both of which I could do with my bum leg propped up.

Hang in there.

Hope you can recover quickly.

Mark

 

 

 

 

 

2014-07-31 5:42 PM
in reply to: sentient.couch

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Subject: RE: Coping with reduced activity due to injuries?
I crashed on July 5. 26 days ago.
16 fractured ribs, broken clavicle, hip pointer and a massive hematoma.
Surgery to reattach my clavicle is tomorrow.

I plan doing as much work as I can via Internet and phone.
2014-08-05 12:26 PM
in reply to: #5028260

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Subject: RE: Coping with reduced activity due to injuries?
Wow. That sucks Lou, but you will heal and chances are that you will be back 100%. Stay positive!
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