FAQ: Do I need to stop running, cycling, weight lifting, practicing yoga….for a while to heal my injury?
Short Answer: Maybe. Most likely you can continue with some mindful modifications to form, intensity, duration, frequency…but the more time you spend practicing old habits or patterns, the more difficult it will be to change them.
Longer Answer: I get this question frequently, especially among an athletic population. The answer to this question is complex and highly individual, but I will provide some points to consider.
Short Answer: Maybe. Most likely you can continue with some mindful modifications to form, intensity, duration, frequency…but the more time you spend practicing old habits or patterns, the more difficult it will be to change them.
Longer Answer: I get this question frequently, especially among an athletic population. The answer to this question is complex and highly individual, but I will provide some points to consider.
Stop Telling Yourself “No Pain, No Gain”
First of all, I’d like you to remove the phrase “no pain, no gain” from your collection of mantras. Pain during physical activity is a useful signal that can teach you about yourself. If you ignore those signals and press on, you are teaching yourself to ignore the intuition of your body. Many people push themselves to the point where they can no longer tell the difference between the healthy soreness of a hard workout and their body telling them it needs a break. When you feel pain, take the time to evaluate what is happening physically (and mentally, emotionally, and spiritually). Please seek help early on from a qualified therapist to sort through what needs to change. The sooner you get going on the right track, the easier the process is!
Unconscious Habits or Patterns are Recipes for Injury
Most of my patients/clients learn with me that the underlying cause of their injury is some sort of pattern or habit that was previously unconscious. Bringing that habit into consciousness is the first step toward healing. That doesn’t mean that the habit will take a 180 degree turn immediately – it takes time, intention, mindful attention and practice to change. This relates to the yogic concept of samskaras or patterns through which we cycle during our lives. Whether these habits or patterns are mental, emotional, spiritual or physical, we form them over a long period of time – sometimes years (or generations or lifetimes according to yogic philosophy).
Habits Form and Change over Time like the Grand Canyon
I often use an analogy with my patients of the Grand Canyon. On my recent hike into the canyon, I saw many signs about how the canyon was formed over millions of years through erosion and other processes. Imagine your habit like the Colorado River, slowly creating a groove over time until it is deep like a canyon. Now that you are at a point where you realize you want to change that habit, you need to divert as much of that river as possible to start eroding a different canyon. Your efforts to move toward your new goal are like the river water that gets diverted toward the new canyon. Your old habits are like the water that stays in the old canyon and continues to erode it deeper. You can see that your best results will happen by diverting as much of that river water toward the new canyon as possible.
For example: think of a goal such as reducing body fat. The old habit is a diet full of junk food. A new habit could be adopting an active lifestyle. Your best results will come from eliminating the junk food and focusing your efforts on whole healthy food choices and physical activity. Could you lose weight and still eat the junk food? Possibly. But you can see how the less you follow that old habit, pattern or groove, the healthier and closer to your goal you will become.
So, Do I Need to Stop or Not?
Back to applying this discussion to whether or not you need to cease a certain physical activity while healing an injury…If your old habit or pattern caused your injury, obviously stopping would help. Sometimes, a temporary halt is necessary to allow the body to heal. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to stop your activity altogether. Depending on your situation, you may be able to modify and continue. Physical activity has so many benefits for wellbeing that I hate to be the movement police! It can be just as damaging for you to swing to the opposite end of the spectrum by adopting a philosophy of no movement is better than bad movement. Every person is different – some people need to rein it in a bit, some need to persevere.
When the Going gets Tough, Stay Mindful of Your Fresh New Habits
It is important to note that when your new habit or pattern is in its fragile beginning stages, it is difficult to maintain in the presence of added difficulty. For example, you learn in your first PT session that you are holding your breath during “double-unders” during your CrossFit class. On the surface, this is an easy habit to change – just keep the breath moving! But, when your body and brain are fatigued part-way through your workout, you no longer have the capacity to stay mindful about your new habit. My preference would be that you only practice your double-unders when you are able to do so without holding your breath. For another example, you learn that you are not using your calf muscles when you run. You do well learning how to engage them with your therapist during 5 minutes of instruction so you decide to go ahead with your 20 mile run you had planned for Saturday. You realize later in your run, that your calves stopped working about 5 minutes into your run, and the rest of your 19+ miles you practiced your old habit. Oops. Remember, it’s not just “practice makes perfect”. It’s “perfect practice makes perfect”. You can’t develop a new habit, pattern or skill by practicing something else.
As I noted in the beginning, this is a complex answer. That’s why therapists / rehab professionals exist – to assist guiding people through this process. The sooner you get that guidance, typically the easier this process is (faster, more optimal results).
As I noted in the beginning, this is a complex answer. That’s why therapists / rehab professionals exist – to assist guiding people through this process. The sooner you get that guidance, typically the easier this process is (faster, more optimal results).
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