In my last few articles I've talked about monitoring the signs of overtraining and listening to your body. I alluded to the fact that last week I felt my own body tighten up during a workout but was able to manage this, work around it and return to training more quickly and at a higher level than if I had pushed on.
So the question becomes what should we do when we feel strain? The first thing I have to mention is that this is not medical advice. This is not meant to serve as a diagnosis of any type of musculoskeletal injury. If you have suffered a serious injury then you should seek medical attention.
Whenever we feel a strain or something more we should be asking ourselves why this happened? Our bodies gives us purposeful feedback and warnings to prevent further damage. Some questions to ask to determine the cause of the discomfort include:
* Have I started a new activity or program lately? Even when we are in shape the first time we try a new activity or sport we will feel it the days that follow.
* In my previous workouts did I warm-up adequately? Did I cool down and stretch out enough? Was my technique optimal throughout all lifts?
* What was I doing prior to my workouts? Have I been sitting at the computer for hours on end before attempting a max deadlift? Was I driving cross-country on a business trip? Have I been doing heavy manual labour? Basically have I been overly static or active in the lead up to training?
* Have I recently upped the frequency, intensity or duration of my workouts?
* Lastly, have I noticed bilateral differences in my body? In other words are there diffences between the left and right sides of my body? When warming up did I feel tighter on one side? When lifting was the bar travelling in an even path or was it off-balance or rotating? When stretching out could I get a release more easily on one side than the other?
If we try and answer the above questions we can do a little bit better job to stay on top of potential injuries.
But once we're injured we need a plan. Here's what I've found works well. Again, to reiterate, this is not to replace any type of medical attention or treatment.
1. The puddle often is not the source of the leak. Many times we suffer an injury at a particular joint and we look to address the problem by zeroing in on this area. But sometimes a knee injury might be due to an issue with the glutes. Or a low back issue might be related to improper posture and function of the scapula (shoulder blades). The point here is to avoid having tunnel vision and look to see how the body works as a whole to determine why there is a problem.
2. Continuing with the previous point don't be overly aggressive at the source of the injury. What I mean is that if I have a low back injury I don't necessarily want to work on this area too much. Instead look above and below the source, in this case the low back, and look to increase stability or mobility at the neighbouring joints. For example in this case, we would look to increase the mobility at the hips and thoracic spine to help relieve some of the strain on the low back.
3. Keep moving. When there is strain sometimes our instinct is to lessen our movement. And while we do want to be smart about our movement we can recover more quickly when we initiate activity. And what do I recommend for most as the best way to initiate some activity? Swimming. Especially if the joint in question is load-bearing joint. Placing the body in a horizontal position takes some of the strain of a normally vertical body position. Plus the water itself helps to support the body and allows the limbs to generate a force against the water and thus help stabilize the trunk.
4. As we resume our training it must be with modifications. This may involve reducing the load, the volume or both. If the injury is with the upper body look to add in more lower body exercises. And finally for wherever the injury occurred look to incorporate more lifts to the opposite side of the body. A quick example is for someone who has anterior (front side) shoulder pain whenever they bench should look to incorporate more pulling exercises such as a seated row.
The key here is that injuries and strain do happen from time to time. While we may take time off a particular exercise or activity, such as not doing the bench press when this irritates the shoulder, we should avoid doing nothing altogether. Remember to listen to your body, ask yourself the questions above then apply the 4 suggestions listed to ensure you return to full, pain-free activity as soon as possible.
All the best.
Chris
okanaganpeakperformance.com 'always moving forward'
250.212.2972
Train when Injured?
