Exercise: Dealing with Injury or Weakness

I get asked lots of questions about exercising with an injury.  It seems like we are all dealing with some sort of pain.  I had my knee reconstructed decades ago and I injured my back in an accident, so I'm always having to modify my movement to compensate when I feel pain or weakness.  You may have to make some adjustments too.  Here are my suggestions.

1.  Consult your doctor.  If it's been a while since you spoke to a physician about your injury, it might be time for a follow-up.  There are new advances every year and that old injury just might be fixable now even if it wasn't before.  It might also be time to try out a new physician.  When I wasn't getting back relief with my chiropractor, I asked friends about their chiropractors and found that one doctor kept getting high marks from everyone.  I made the appointment and discovered a doctor who was excited about new techniques, supported my desire to exercise, and gave me the pain relief I needed.

2.  Believe in the power of exercise.  It would be so easy to use your injury as an excuse.  Everyone thinks that you should rest an injury, but even knee replacement recipients wake up from surgery to find a machine is already exercising their new knee.  Exercise is good for your body and has more benefits that you realize. 

My mother-in-law has Polymyalgia, which causes severe muscle pain and makes her so stiff that she can barely move.  When she was diagnosed, she was given a bunch of pills that masked the symptoms and generally made her feel yucky.  She started walking.  Before long she learned that if she would walk every morning until the pain subsided (about 3-5 miles) then she was pain free for the rest of the day and could get back to her favorite activity--working in the yard. 

Another friend was told that he was borderline diabetic and would soon need insulin shots.  His answer was to begin running.  By the next appointment, he showed no signs of diabetes.

 My husband had been resting an Achilles heel injury for months.  He finally took my suggestion to start walking on the treadmill every morning for 30 minutes.  A week later he was pain free, and it lowered his blood pressure significantly.

Exercise is so good for you that it's a shame it doesn't come in a pill--since that's what it would take for most Americans to believe me.  But you know better.  Just believe and get to work.

3.  Modify.  "Just because you can't do something doesn't mean that you don't do anything.  Modify.  Make adjustments."  That's Tony Horton's advice.  He also constantly reminds you to "do your best and forget the rest."

4.  Take care of the injury.  The beauty of exercise and a good diet is that you start to really listen to your body.  Before long, you'll see the signs when you need to give your knee (or elbow, or heel) a rest.  I can tell exactly when it's time for a massage before my back gets too stiff to fix.  Listen to your body and take care of it.

Do you have other suggestions?  Please share them.