Coming back...

We all get injured sometimes.  It may be as simple as getting our fingers confused with the veggies we’re chopping while making dinner or as complicated as a car crash.  No matter what, we have to figure out how to deal with the results.

Things like cuts and bruises are not that hard to work around.  We throw on a bandage and try not to put pressure on the boo-boo.

When we have overwork injuries like tendonitis, it gets harder.  We have to rest.  Time off actually does wonders for most folks in this regard, but since we get these injuries doing what we like to do, time off can be somewhat purgatorial.  When we do return to our beloved activities, we may need to go slower, refine our form, and/or add support.

Catastrophic injuries like broken bones require all of that and more.  Physical therapy can make the difference between an injury that lingers and one that really goes away.  Many health plans minimize or eliminate physical therapy; we need to kick up a ruckus if necessary to get this important treatment.  And then the hard part:  we have to DO the exercises our physical therapists assign.  Only after we’ve completed that course of therapy should we return to our normal activities.

When we do get back to our workouts, we may have to start more slowly than we’d like.  We need to take baby steps, mastering each increment before progressing to avoid setbacks.  Excellent form is our friend, even if it is not always fun to achieve.

(I am not a doctor or a physical therapist.  I will not diagnose or treat injuries.  I will strongly suggest talking to those professionals when clients experience beyond-normal discomfort.)

Injuries happen, but we can bounce back.