OUCH, MY BODY HURTS!
6 easy steps to overcome injury

It has happened to many of you, after a longer or more intense workout your knee begins to hurt. You may not notice it until the next day or, it may keep you up that night. A sense of panic hits you, as the fear of missing out on the next event becomes real. Or, you may be exercising for fitness/stress management and see frustration quickly rearing its ugly head after all your hard fought gains go down the tube. Most people faced with this scenario actually do the things that make the pain worse, they ignore it. The pain gets steadily worse and they have to stop all activity. When our goals are blocked it's a common response to try and push through the pain in the hopes it will just go away. Unfortunately, this can lead to long term injury. There is a BETTER WAY! The following 6 steps can keep you from missing out on the fun this winter.

1. Take a deep breath. Luckily, many injuries can be managed quickly if caught in the early stages. The initial stages of inflammation are much easier to manage than the tissue degeneration that accompanies long term injuries. A positive outlook goes a long way to helping you go through the following steps toward better health.

2. Brrrrr, its cold. Cold therapy has been used since the Greeks for treatment of injury. There is an increase in circulation that promotes healing and a decrease in swelling with the use of cold therapy. A bag of frozen peas makes an excellent cold pack that can be used for 15 minutes over the injured area. For tendons I recommend an ice cup (a Dixie cup filled with water and frozen in the freezer) that is moved in a circular fashion about the tendon until the skin is numb, about 2-3 minutes. Olympian Nordic skier Laura McCabe uses this treatment for her occasional knee pain. "I immediately ice my knee tendon when I begin to feel discomfort after a long run or new activity" says Laura. This quick attention helps Laura maintain an incredible activity level that includes running, mountain climbing, and marathon skiing.

3. Keep PAIN FREE in your activity. One of the biggest mistakes made is to push through the pain. This only serves to create more tissue damage. Pain is there for a reason. It's your early warning system that 'something is wrong in River City'. Masters athlete Karla Segale uses the pain free rule to reduce her time lost to injury. "I used to have to take 2-3 months off due to tendinitis that I would try to 'run through'. Now I immediately decrease my mileage or intensity to keep in a pain free zone. I find that cross-training on my bike will also give the running injury time to heal." Karla has discovered that there are ways to work around a painful activity by decreasing intensity of the activity or doing a different sport that moves her body in a different way that is not painful.

4. Stretching is a powerful tool in taking stress off a muscle or joint. As we age we loose flexibility which often contributes to an increase in injury. It's a lot easier to strain a muscle if our tendons and joints are tight. There is a way to reverse this 'chronological impairment', its called microstretching. Sport Stretch founder Nikos Apostolopolos has developed a stretching method that gets results in increasing flexibility and speeding the recovery process. He promotes gentle stretching of one minute and repeating it three times. One of the keys to success is in the order of the stretch. To increase flexibility in the hamstring you would stretch in the following order: Calf, Hip, and Hamstring. This method recognizes that all the muscles have connections to each other and to increase flexibility, you must include multiple muscles in your stretching.

5. Look at your equipment. Rita Kenny of Winthrop Mountain Sports recommends getting expert advice on pole and ski selection. "A pole that is too long, or a ski camber that is not matched to the individual can exacerbate an injury. The ski boot is also an important choice for proper interface with the ski and the lower leg." Checking to make sure your equipment is properly fitted can help in recovering from injury. Many people continue to run during the winter. Are your shoes right for your bone structure? 15% of the population has rigid feet that require maximum cushioning in a shoe. Most athletes with foot difficulties have conditions that cause over pronation, or rolling in of the foot. This condition requires a shoe that controls and slows this pronation. Picking the right shoe is important in a healthy foot and leg.

6. Seek help. There are many resources for getting help with injuries. Many health professionals offer free injury assessments to assist in getting an injury looked at quickly. Physical therapy, massage therapy, chiropractic, and acupuncture can all be of assistance in treating activity injuries. Many professions also have special certifications in Sports Therapy that insures you get a qualified caregiver for your sports injury. If you are unable to overcome your injury with the above steps you should seek out professional medical care. This winter season promises to be an exciting one in the Methow Valley. The above tips should keep you on the trails and off the couch. Keeping focused on healthy and pain free activity will ensure a long and fun filled season.

Peter Dickinson MS, PT, SCS

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