Should I continue training or change my training schedule if I’m injured?

by Sports Therapist Lauren Lyndon-Hill

A question I often get asked in the clinic by my patients is ‘I can’t train because I’m injured, what can I do?’

Well, here’s the answer…

In fact, YES you can still train when injured. If you’re a gym goer, train for sports or generally just enjoy being active, you can still make this your normal routine. Here’s why…

During injury occurrence, it is very important to keep things as normal as possible in your daily life. Going to the gym, training or being an active person in general is part of someone’s routine. Patients often instantly become worried about putting so much effort into being active, then having to start all over again from injury. I always say to my patients that there is part of your body that you can train. It’s sometimes good to change things up and work different areas of the body that you may not have tried before. To begin with, training may not relate to the injured part of the body. However, progressively over time, rehabilitation is always needed to ensure the injured part is back fully fit. 

Example

You may have just recently fractured your tibia and fibula (leg). Your routine involves going to the gym three or four times a week. You choose to make the gym your normal routine and continue to turn up. You adapt you’re training programme, which involves doing upper limb and/or unilaterally strength training. Additionally, continuing cardiovascular fitness by using a stationary bike, which is a low-impact way to increase cardio fitness. It is possible to ride with a cast or splint on the ankle or foot, but the ride may be slower that’s all. Alternatively, ski rowers and arms bikes could be used to increase cardiovascular fitness.

The purpose of this blog was to prove that options can be endless!

How does this positively impact on an injured person?

In relation to being injured, sometimes we can find ourselves lacking motivation, getting bored. Being worried about our injury and being scared and a tad overwhelmed about the injury rehabilitation process. 

Adapting you’re training schedule will positively make a huge impact on the recovery process and getting you back fully fit. This is likely to keep you motivated because you love being in the environment. It gives you a chance to try out different exercises, and it allows you to stay engaged with people, rather than being isolated at home. Motivation is key! 

Maintaining a good training schedule or general routine is paramount to a patient’s motivation when it comes to performing rehabilitation exercises. If training is something that was in your routine before, then why change it? Being in an environment you love, will always give you the ability to stay motivated through the tough times of being injured!

To find out more about Sports Therapy or to see if Lauren can help you email lauren@keherentherapy.co.uk