Most of us will have to deal with injury rehabilitation at some point, as the injury rate for runners is consistently around 70%. You may take matters into your own hands and come back to running in top form by taking an active role in your rehabilitation.
Although avoiding harm altogether is ideal, accidents can and do happen even to the most cautious individuals. In today’s fast-paced society, it’s tempting to seek out treatment options that promise instant results.
What about you? Have you ever attempted…
- Needling without liquid
- cupping
- massage
- manipulation of tissue aggressively (i.e., the Graston technique)
Although each of these therapies has some potential for helping with healing, there is no evidence that they are particularly useful for injury rehabilitation. And you, the most crucial variable, are often overlooked.
This week’s show features Dr. Jimmy Picard of Salt Lake City’s physical therapy community. Instead of putting one’s fate in the hands of others, he urges readers to take charge of their own rehabilitation.
Jimmy provides unique and essential insights into effective injury recovery for runners thanks to his background as a former cross-country runner at the College of William & Mary and his experience as a Cat 2 cyclist in addition to his physical therapy skills dealing with endurance athletes.
Jimmy is convinced that the best way to recover from an injury is to actively participate in the process, using physical therapy exercises and strength training as examples.
As the saying goes, “Movement is medicine.”
You might think that resting on the sofa is the only option when you suffer a running-related ailment. However, Jimmy says that cardiovascular exercise is crucial to the healing process.
He likens it to “poking the bear” to describe the procedure. Just what does that imply?
- The first step in rehabilitation is to limit your load so that you’re only doing as much exercise as your body can handle.
- The second step is to pinpoint the point in your recovery where you feel like you can give no more.
- When that point is reached, you may (and should) “poke the bear,” or gently probe into the agony you’ve been feeling without making it worse.
A successful rehabilitation process involves a continuous process of trial and error in which the patient is tested, monitored, and adjusted based on the results.
Jimmy elaborates on the importance of attitude and preparation for recovery in the podcast.
- Recovery that considers the whole person
- Staying away from doomsday scenarios
- Two stages of recuperation: de-escalation and re-institution
- Why shutting down and trying to power through an ailment are both bad ideas
Anyone, wounded or not, may benefit from this in-depth analysis of injury recovery.
