Speed Up Healing with Movement, Not Rest

Exercises that Help with Injury Rehab

1. Isometric holds strengthen weakened muscles

2. Resistance bands instead of weights to improve range of motion

3. Stretching to lengthen tight muscles after an injury

4. Personal Training to push through limiting beliefs 

5. Walking, biking, standing, and working out to help recover from an injury

What Doesn't Help Injury Rehab

1. Quitting your regular workouts unless you've been instructed to do so

2. Resting for long periods of time exacerbates pain and lengthens recovery time

3. Not doing the exercises regularly recommended by a medical professional, even after you feel healed up

Isometric holds strengthen weakened muscles

Isometric exercises are anything that requires you to hold a position without moving. That could include contracting a muscle, holding for 10 seconds and releasing. Then you repeat. An example of an isometric hold is a plank.

These exercises are excellent when you have joint pain or injury because they work on your stabilization without putting pressure on your body. Generally you can do these with bodyweight only or add resistance with a band to increase tension.  

Resistance bands instead of weights to improve range of motion

When your muscles are weakened, your range of motion also decreases. In order to get up to your regular form, sometimes doing light exercises with a band will help you stretch your musles on the retraction and strengthen muscles on the contraction.

If you are recovering from a shoulder injury, generally you are given mobility exercises to increase the range of motion in 360 degrees with resistance bands or light weights. These exercises will increase blood circulation to the area, strengthen supporting muscles, and help you heal faster. 

Stretching to lengthen tight muscles after an injury

There's no denying that a strong yoga practice is needed for mobility and longevity. Holding stretches for 30 seconds or longer can help heal injuries faster as well. If you have back pain, joint pain or muscle stiffness, stretching will help increase your range of motion and also allow you to lift heavier the next day.

By lengthening your muscles, increasing blood flow and flexibility, we are able to lift heavier loads making our exercises more effective. We recommend doing dynamic stretches in the warm up phase of your workout to help increase blood circulation and prepare the body for work. Post-workout stretching helps recovery and aids with muscle mass development.

Personal Training to push through limiting beliefs 

The reason that people hire coaches is to push through limiting beliefs that hold us back. One of those beliefs is that you need to rest after an injury and do next to nothing to recover. This is farthest from the truth. As counter-productive as it sounds, our bodies need movement to heal. 

When you hire a coach, they will ask you about injuries and limitations so that when they design your program it will gradually increase your range of motion and allow you to work harder week after week. Improve your recovery time by working out with a personal trainer.

People are surprised by how quickly they recover after working out with a coach, who can do assisted stretches, and challenge your body in ways you never thought possible. Heal your back pain with movement, not rest.

Walking, biking, standing, and working out to help recover from an injury

Some exercises require no strain on muscles at all. Walking, biking, standing and working out with calisthenics (bodyweight) can be extremely beneficial in injury rehab. Unless your doctor has told you to ease off, these exercises keep your joints lubricated, blood flow circulating and signal to the body that you expect it to function despite the injury. 

Don't quit your regular workouts unless you've been instructed to do so

If you are not in a cast, had a major surgery, or limping around due to a severe injury, it's recommended that you keep moving in ways that are not taxing on the body and speed up recovery. Stopping all movement weakens supporting muscles, which adds stress to your joints, ligaments, tendons, and bones.

Resting for long periods of time exacerbates pain and lengthens recovery time

Whenever you've had a hard workout that feels like you pulled a muscle, or strained something, it makes sense to ease off for a couple days to help your body recover. However, if you start taking weeks off, you'll increase the time it takes to recover. Pain is often a symptom of weak muscles and unhealed injuries. As mentioned above, movement helps to heal. There's no need to push yourself hard when in the recovery phase, but active recovery like yoga, biking, walking, resistance or calisthenics are all ways that keep your body strong even when you are "taking it easy".

Not continuing to do the exercises regularly recommended by a medical professional, even after you feel healed up

Oftentimes, we'll start to feel better after 2-3 weeks of doing our rehab exercises and find that they become boring. However, unless your medical professional has asked you to stop them, it's not a good idea to let them slide. The reason is that you may be 80% healed, but not completely ready to go back to regular workouts which leads to risk of re-injury. 

Allow Personal Training to Guide You Through Injury Rehab

As much as it sucks to be in pain all the time, there is a way to get back to being injury-free quickly. By using the tips above to assist you through your rehab phase of your program, you will not only recover but be stronger and ready to take on new challenges. Coaches help design programs with injuries in mind and help you strengthen surrounding muscles, joints and stabilizers so that you can increase your range of motion and add weights back into your program. Pain doesn't have to mean stop everything, it just means you need to move carefully and with a plan.

If you've been stuck in a rut because of an injury, please contact the professionals at Rage Fitness at 1-825-945-7733 or fill out the online contact form to get moving again so that you can start working towards your goals safely.