If you're dealing with an injury, it can be hard to know where to start. Should you get an X Ray or MRI? How much should you move versus rest? Where do you even start the recovery process? Dealing with pain or an injury can be really frustrating and overwhelming. Every injury and pain is completely different, but there are certain messages that are the same almost no matter what you’re dealing with. Here are our top 4 tips to make progress wherever you are in your recovery journey.
Should you rest your pain or injury?
The old advice used to be rest your injury so it can be heal. Turns out, that’s actually not the best idea. Just resting pain or an injury might make it feel better, but it’s not going to fix what caused the issue in the first place. Plus, you almost never need to stop working out, running, or doing something else you love to get better. Usually, all you need to do is make small modifications to your activity or workout to both keep being active and get better at the same time. Finding the right balance between rest and movement is key to helping your body heal.
Imaging Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story:
Getting scans like X-rays or MRIs can show what's going on inside your body, but they don't always tell the whole story. We see people all of the time have an MRI or X Ray show something that looks scary (herniated discs, tendon tears, arthritis, etc) and make a full recovery, have no pain and get back to doing whatever they want. Just because something looks a certain way on a picture doesn't mean it'll stay that way forever. Your body is pretty amazing at healing itself, so don't get too worried if the pictures don't look perfect. Instead, focus on how you're feeling and what you can do to help your body heal.
Finding the Right Kind of Stress:
Healing isn't just about taking it easy. Everything in your body heals by putting stress through it. If you break your leg bone, you eventually need to walk on it. If you have a heart attack, you are sent to cardiac rehab to get your heart stronger. Everything in your body heals the same way. To actually get out of pain long term, the goal is to find the right amount of stress and then gradually increase that stress. For example, most messages tell you to always protect your back, avoid putting stress through it and strengthen everything around it. If we strengthen our heart after a heart attack, why wouldn’t we strengthen our back after a back injury? The real answer to fully healing any pain or injury is to find the right amount of stress, not protecting it forever.
What else matters?
Healing isn't just about taking care of your mobility, strength, and getting massages. It's about taking care of yourself in other ways too. Research and a combined 50 years of experience of our therapists shows us that when we are stressed we are much more likely to get injured, and it also takes longer to heal. And, even more importantly, if you’re not getting enough sleep, it can make recovery much harder. One of the first things we do in our sessions is talk with people about their stress and sleep. If these two are not ideal, it can be a great first step towards getting better.
Conclusion:
Remember, getting better isn't just about resting and waiting for things to fix themselves. It's about taking small steps every day to help your body heal and get stronger. So, whether you're dealing with a sprained ankle or a sore back, know that you have the power to help yourself feel better. Keep moving, stay positive, and don't forget to take care of yourself inside and out. You've got this!
If you're looking for help with your recovery, we're here for you! Feel free to email us at info@districtperformancephysio.com, contact us here, or text/call us at 202-922-7331.
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