Many athletes and active people are living with at least one pain in their body that they are ignoring thinking the pain will pass eventually because ‘obviously’ as they continue to train, their bodies will be strengthening and therefore the vulnerability will resolve. So they think! However a year later, the pain has not gone away, possibly worsened, and training has plateaued.
Finally the decision is made to do something about it by seeking the assistance of specialists. They soon realize that what started out as an occassional niggling pain has gone from an acute and isolated discomfort to a chronic condition with secondary issues, a more involved injury, the progression of which will be different to an injury that had been handled sooner rather than later.
So what is the difference? Well, without getting into the nitty gritty, painfully boring scientific explanation of the whole thing, compare the healing that goes on in interstitial tissue to what happens to what most are more familiar with, your skin. Just as the skin bleeds, is tender and requires particular care to allow healing, so too do the layers below the surface.
Everyone is familiar with the age old practice of placing ice on the area when an injury occurs. Anyone who has actually applied this principle could attest to its effectiveness. Based on my experience however, the percentage of people who actually carry through with this simple home remedy is very slim, thus perpetuating the annoyance and inconvenience of the injury. The typical exercise enthusiast maintains their exercise routine and the injury is put into a cycle of inflammation.
To deal with the perpetuating environment of inflammation, the tissues “harden.” They thicken so that they aren’t so vulnerable to the effects of it, like a callous on your foot. This tissue becomes less elastic and particularly in muscle that require that recoil effect, the inelasticity compromises its ability to function and/or be explosive. Any compromise in muscle function causes over-compensations in other related muscles and tissue and next thing you know, the mechanics of the movement is thrown off. What started off as a simple little muscle strain can turn into annoying tissue scaring, limited range of motion, impingement and any number of other secondary effects, simply because the initial problem was allowed to perpetuate.
The value of taking those initial steps to best understand how to deal with an injury is grossly underrated. Not all injury results in long protocols of treatment sessions. Fortunately, there are health insurance policies out here that honor rehabilitation, once it has been prescribed by a doctor. Regardless, while there is the cost attached to therapy, anything that deals with preserving the health and function of your body, be it filling a prescription of antibiotics for a flu, seeing a dietician to manage your weight or buying the right gear/equipment for your sport – whether your insurance covers it or not, such actions should be considered self-preservation and an investment.
Just as an athlete or active person invests in his equipment, it is important that there is always the financial ability to handle the costs in the event of an injury. The chances of getting injured in one way or other is great, however major or minor.
It seems to me that part of the reason why people underestimate their need for therapy is because of the simplicity of some of the movements that are prescribed in therapeutic corrective exercise. Many think that the corrective exercises are exercises that can be done independently and while in some cases this may be true, rehabilitating an injury is not just about strengthening the area but also about knowing what movements you can do without making the injury worse, understanding body positioning, modifying a movement appropriately, breaking down the movement to build it back up so that muscles fire in proper sequence and so on.
While an injury can limit a person’s freedom in the gym or on the field, it does not always mean a complete removal from activity and athletic therapists in particular, challenge themselves to figure out ways to keep an athlete safely in play/active while nursing an injury. Once a therapist or doctor is able to identify specifically the condition and muscles affected, the rehab protocol is indicated with its goals and timelines as well as the parameters within which the individual can still operate/play.
Although the internet can provide you with a lot of information about your injury, seeking direct assistance from someone trained to deal with such conditions makes a big difference in directing the approach efficiently and effectively.
By Asha De Freitas-Moseley
Source: www.guardian.co.tt