Quit Babying It!

To many people, it seems contradictory to exercise something that is injured. This is especially true in the older range of the population. That is mostly because doctors used to recommend rest for injuries and pain of all sorts. Low back pain? Try a week of bed rest! Sounds lovely, but it will not help your back. In fact, it will probably make it worse.

Science has come a long way in the field of musculoskeletal injuries. Data shows that for most injuries, the closer someone can stay to normal activities, the faster they will get better. Obviously, this does not apply to all injuries or activities. If something is fully or significantly torn, such as a ligament, you may need to immobilize it to allow the fibers to heal together again just like you would a broken bone. But for most injuries, the best thing you can do is use it, you just need to use a little common sense too!

There are many reasons why this is true of healing.
1. Movement increases blood flow to all areas of the body and will bring nutrients and materials needed for healing to the injured site at a faster rate if it is moving.
2. Moving an injured area directs proper fiber growth when healing muscles, tendons and ligaments. If something is not moving, the tissue does not know which direction to place the new fibers and when the fibers are not aligned properly, you end up with scar tissue.
3. Decreased motion will lead to deconditioning and can lead to illnesses or blood clots. When you stay in the same position too long, you are more prone to develop blood clots, which can lead to severe problems. You can also get pneumonia. It doesn't take weeks or months for the likelihood of these to increase. It happens in a day or two.
4. Muscle tone lost is muscle tone that has to be rebuilt. If you do not get things back to where they were before the injury, you can be left with a weak spot, allowing the same injury (like an ankle sprain) to occur again and again.

With all of that said, you do need to be careful with an injury. Avoid heavy strain. If you work out, you will have to modify things for a little while. But MODIFY is the key word. Walk or ride a bike instead of running. Switch to little or no weight for your toning. Focus on stretching more than you used to. But don't stop moving! If you aren't sure what is safe, ask your chiropractor, trainer or medical doctor for advice.