Rehab and Performance: Can the Two Co-Exist?

You were super active up until the moment you got injured.

You might have twisted your ankle stepping off a curb while out on a 10K run. Or your knee buckled underneath you while you were hitting the slopes hard. You may have tweaked your low back while playing horsie with the kids. Or maybe you pinched your shoulder reaching into the back seat of the car to grab your purse.

Whatever the body part, something bad happened. And things suddenly changed.

You know what usually happens next, right?

“I’ll take a few days to let it rest, it should clear up.”

Maybe a little ice. A couple ibuprofen. A tensor wrap here, a hot pack there. Some Tiger Balm. And a big glass of red wine.

For some, that’s all it’ll take and things will clear up. They’ll be back to their everyday activity, pushing the limits, and living life. The pain, the dysfunction, and the misery will be nothing more than a long forgotten memory.

For the unlucky few, it unfortunately doesn’t work out that way. Things stay the same, or they get worse. More pain. Less movement. Weakness. Decreased function and performance.

Out comes the Ben & Jerry’s, on goes the TV, and the moping begins.

“Why me?”

“Why won’t this heal? Why won’t it get better?”

And here begins the sad, downward spiral of the once lofty fitness goals and aspirations.

The running stops cold. They gym, heck, that could be on another planet! Even the kids will have to wait till you feel better to play with them.

Limping. Hobbling. Shuffling. Modifying how you do things.

“Exercise?! Are you kidding me, I’m injured!”

Days grow into weeks. You feel your once toned muscles soften like freshly kneaded dough. Your shape slowly shifting, growing at the paunch almost imperceptibly at first, but then quickly gaining steam.

The couch, which remarkably wasn’t made of memory foam, has developed new physical properties, and has somehow molded to your new and expanding body contours. Like a plush glove that embraces you, welcoming you, caressing you. Bidding you to stay for a while.

Your motivation levels drop. Depression creeps in. It gets harder and harder to even do little things. You’re on edge. Your mind’s not as sharp and clear as it used to be. You feel anxious without even knowing why. Restless like a caged animal that needs to let off steam.

You realize that you miss your former active self; enough is finally enough.

You’ve realized that nothing truly changes if nothing changes.

“That’s it, I’m going to get ________(insert injured body part here) fixed!”

You dutifully look up your physiotherapist/chiropractor/massage therapist (insert your injury rehab professional here) and call them up and get booked in for your treatment.

You diligently go through your rehab and at the end of it all, you are free from pain, you have your range of motion, and your strength is coming back.

You’re now just a softer and weaker, albeit pain-free, version of your old injured self.

Discharged from therapy, you start from ground zero again to build yourself back up. Step by slow step. For most people, that’s almost as daunting and depressing as being injured!

What if there were another way?

What if, during your rehab, you actually IMPROVED your fitness? What if you shed a few of those injury pounds? What if, at the end of your treatment plan, you were able to perform at, or beyond, the level you were at BEFORE you got injured?

At Primal Human Performance, we believe that the above should be part of every injury rehab treatment plan. We believe that your injury treatment should not merely cover the bases, but should empower you to attain physical peaks you didn’t think possible.

That’s why as soon as you’re body is ready, we’ll have you in our high performance gym, pushing, pulling, squatting, lunging, crawling, and throwing your way to optimal health and ultimate performance.

Who says you can’t rehab an injury while improving your performance at the same time?

Team Primal