The Question: Many athletes who we coach at Pat’s Gym who have come back from injuries, hold themselves back at the gym out of fear of experiencing another injury. Has this ever happened to you?
The Answer: The answer to this dilemma is not simple. Professional athletes that we work with at Pat’s Gym who have been injured, have returned to their sport. But, I consider those injuries to be fairly basic. The only issue is that when there is an injury, bad movement patterns develop. Rehab and recovery phases that carry that carry into the future, set the player up for another injury. The psychological effect is not as great from simple injuries. The psychological effect is greater when it comes from major injuries including life threating injuries.
So, from these two extremes – lesser injuries and major injuries – patience is required for recovery and rehab. With a serious injury you need more patience because in addition to physical, you’re facing a psychological impact that you have to get over. You really have to go beyond where you were in order to gain confidence and truly rebound. If you don’t go beyond where you were, you will never really recovery and you will carry that fear like a stone in your pack. In this case, the gym or other measureable means of training and testing are of immense value. You will need these markers to provide you with proof that you are better than you were.
At one point, I had herniated a disc in my back and could not do much. I stayed on top of all aspects of fitness that were not dependent on my back. I kept a reasonably good attitude, and then dedicated six weeks to gym training. I hit enough personal records in the gym to be confident. I then knew I could return to professional sailing. But, returning I had to have proof that I was better than where I was before. I didn’t want that stone in my pack, and I fought my way back. Fighting was not only physiological, it was mental also.
So, my advice to you is if you’re injured, give yourself time to recover. However, don’t give up working out. Return to the gym when you can and work around the injury. When you’re able to work on strengthening the injured part of your body, do it wisely, but push yourself. You don’t want fear to hold you back.
