It’s important to be cautious before diving into any injury recovery exercises. Achieving safe, sustainable rehabilitation should be the ultimate goal of any injury recovery program. Suffering an injury drastically increases your risk of developing a recurrence or even a new injury. We can mitigate these risks by being safe and smart about how hard we push ourselves.
If you’re ready to rehabilitate, then here are some tips on safely returning to exercise after an injury:
1. Come Back Slow
One of the biggest mistakes that you can make when recovering from an injury is to get back to a full exercise routine too quickly. It’s wise to start off slowly—even slower than you feel is necessary—and gradually increase your exercise intensity. Coming back slowly helps you build confidence and prevent a recurring injury. It also gives you the opportunity to notice any changes and build better body awareness.
2. Undergo Therapy
If you’ve suffered a particularly bad injury or you’re experiencing chronic pain, it’s important to seek professional therapy to help you better understand what’s happening. Depending on your injury, you may wish to see a chiropractor or a physiotherapist or both. Chiropractors can help you alleviate chronic musculoskeletal pain, while physiotherapists can put together a rehabilitation plan for you. Getting an expert opinion can give you the reassurance to return to exercising safely.
3. Listen to Your Body
Not only is it important to listen to your physical symptoms (don’t ignore your pain), it’s also essential to listen to any emotional symptoms you may be experiencing. Injuries, and the chronic pain that accompanies them, can take a toll on your emotional wellbeing. You may feel frustrated and helpless that you’re not able to perform tasks like you used to. You may also feel anxious about returning to exercise for the fear of re-injuring yourself. Remember to practice self-compassion and get support as you need it.
Support for Injury Recovery from Relax The Back
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to healing any injury. Every injury recovery exercise program should be tailored to your unique diagnosis—including any support products you’ll need.
Relax The Back provides a variety of support products to help in your injury recovery. Having the right fitness and therapy products and devices ensures that you’ve got the support you need to safely rehabilitate your injury.
