An injury can put your workout program on tilt. People in Houston, TX, often believe that rest and avoiding exercise is the best solution for healing or whether modifying their workout to accommodate the injury is okay. The good news is that exercise helps injuries heal. There’s no reason not to do it. You won’t want to run on a broken ankle, but that doesn’t mean you can’t sit and lift weights. If you sprained your wrist, it shouldn’t stop you from walking, running, or doing squats. Be more mindful of the muscles you use when you workout with an injury, but it’s worth it.
Assess the injury and the location.
If you have an injury to your chest or abdomen that requires medical treatment, check with your healthcare professional first before doing any exercise. You may be able to take walks to boost healing. For injuries to your limbs, work the muscles that aren’t injured and don’t work those that are. Plan an upper-body workout if you have an injured ankle or a lower-body workout with an injured arm.
You don’t have to give up exercising that area of the body.
If you have a leg injury on one leg, you can still work the other leg. The same is true for your arms. People used to believe that working the opposite side of the injury would cause a noticeable difference in muscle development. The exact opposite is true. New studies show that if one leg or arm is injured and you work the other side using exercises that elongate the muscle—eccentric exercises, it benefits both sides. It slows the muscle wasting on the injured side while helping you maintain muscle strength on the uninjured arm or leg.
If you can’t get out of a chair or bed, you still can’t exercise.
If you can move, you can exercise, even if you can’t get out of bed. You can move your arms above your head, do stretches, and mini leg lifts. Keeping your body moving helps prevent muscle wasting and keeps the joints lubricated. You can maintain grip using a tennis ball, do light lifting both seated and laying or do arm exercises while sitting in a chair. Pilots and astronauts squeeze a tennis ball to keep their blood pressure from dropping. Studies found that the same activity done for a long time helped lower blood pressure by adapting the body and allowing for a larger release of nitric oxide.
- Increasing circulation should be your primary goal, regardless of where your injury is. You may only be able to do small things, but each movement counts and helps you make bigger gains.
- Pace yourself. Don’t move the injured area too much once given the okay. Always do warm-up and cool-down exercises before starting any workout.
- Always check with your healthcare professional before doing isometrics, especially if you have high blood pressure.
- If you have a cast and do pool exercises, make sure your cast is designed for use in water or a cast cover.
For more information, contact us today at Rising Fitness Gym