Ways to Navigate an Acute Injury
Getting an injury is terrible. Whether you flared up something from years ago, were in an accident, had a fall, it all sucks. And it is hard not to fall into the cycle of feeling bad for ourselves, or not wanting to do anything, or thinking “why me”. Sometimes we are so injured that we must stay laid up in bed, or on the couch or unable to continue “regular” life or activities. This again is so hard for our mental health and mindset and physical body.
So if you find yourself in this space, here are a few steps to take to get on the road to recovery.
Breathe: taking the time to intentionally breath helps up regulate our nervous system. This moves our body out of flight or fight mode and allows our muscles and body to more easily relax. When we are in pain, our nociception (pain reception) is over stimulated and telling our brain and body that something is wrong. This system is normal, but we don’t want to stay here forever. We want to be able to downregulate so that we can get rest and our body can start to relax and release that tension in order to move forward with healing. Here is an insta video of some breathing to try
Rest: give yourself permission to rest. You can so easily get caught up in what you “should” or “would” be doing if you weren't in pain, and all this does not allow our body the space it needs to rest and relax and allow healing to occur. So take a breath, give yourself permission to rest and relax, knowing that it is what your body needs in order to get better. And carry this into your rehab process by scheduling time to rest and recover after a work day. Do not jump into that same workout routine right away, give yourself and your body adequate time to repair. Also make sure you are getting adequate sleep, as adults we should be getting around 8 hours a night, and we need this for our regular bodily functions, and even more so when our body is working hard to heal and repair.
Ice and/ or heat: ice and heat is often dependent on the person. I tell people to try both and stick with what feels best for them, as this can differ. But as a general rule, I start with ice for inflammation, or heat for a lot of muscle tension. Often people will do both in contrast, starting with ice and switching to heat, this should be done with a 1:3 cold:hot timing ratio. For example 5 mins of cold and then 15 mins of heat. You don't want to exceed 10 mins of cold or 20 mins of hot at any given time.
Safe positions: find a couple positions and/ or stretches and movements that feel good. Experiment gently with laying on your stomach, or you back, moving your legs, or arms, or neck in different positions with various pillows or props to make yourself as comfortable as possible. When you can have some safe positions, you can more easily rest and regulate your body. Here is an insta video of a couple options for low back pain
Safe Movements: gently play around with movement, and slowly ease back into activity. Something that felt good previously might not be great for you in an acute injury. If you are recovering from a surgery or injury of a specific limb, move your body in a way that feels nourishing that doesn’t involve that area; for example if you rolled your ankle, can you work on some upper body strength. Getting movement, and encouraging blood flow will help your mental health and help your body's natural healing process.
Find a practitioner to help you: whether you like massage, chiropractors, physio, try it all and stick with the practitioners who you like and who you believe can help you. Creating a dynamic team of health practitioners who can support you through this time is a great way to keep you accountable, but also get you on the best path for rehabilitation. All registered health practitioners will have a regulatory body for the area or nation that you live in. Check the states or provinces health provider regulatory bodies to find a practitioner nearest to you. A lot of practitioners are using online access when applicable too, another great option for rural places or if you are unable to get out of the house easily.
Hydrate and nourish: water and good whole foods will help replenish your body with what it needs to heal. Keeping up on vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes is also helpful. When you have an acute injury, especially a broken bone or soft tissue damage, we want to supply our body with the right nutrients to keep energized and provide the nutrients that our body needs to execute healing. This is not the time to jump into a weight loss diet, and not the time to be binging on processed foods. Stick to whole foods, and try to eat a variety of proteins, vegetables, and carbs.
Journal or reach out: when an injury prevents us from our regular life we can begin to feel isolated or even depressed. Especially if you are less mobile than previously and its hard to get out of the house, call a friend to chat and let them know how you are doing. Ask someone in your social circle to visit or bring you something that you need. Allow people to take care of you, the loved ones in your life want to do this when you are not feeling your best, so say yes when someone offers to come make you dinner or drop off a homemade treat. You can also join some forums or groups of people with similar conditions or injury, google around your area for some supports that might be available. If nothing else, do some journaling and let yourself freely write without judgment. Let your frustrations out onto paper, ask the hard questions of what am I to learn from this, why is this happening FOR me. Journaling is a great way to reconnect to yourself and maybe even learn something new.
Be gentle and patient with your body as you navigate these times. You will get through it, I have experienced this first hand, and seen it in my practice countless times. You are not alone. Reach out to me if you need an ear or some help!