Injury Recovery is a Long Road

Injury rehab feels like rising from the dead…

Sometimes I feel like I’m clawing my way out of a grave. I’ve definitely watched too many monster movies, but that’s the image that always pops into my head.

When we find ourselves incapacitated by injury or illness it is a powerful reminder of our mortality. Our meat suits are not impervious, and nothing we do is guaranteed proof against pain.

Sometimes we are given the opportunity to build our way back up from pain through the rehab process. Rehab is both scary and boring. Scary because you don’t know the outcome. Boring because it is small, repetitive, and time consuming.

Recovering from Surgery through Injury Rehab

I’m on month 8 since my surgery. I had big plans for my rehab, and where I wanted to be by now. But as I worked, I realized that I have so much more to do to get to where I want to go. I needed a hard reset.

I haven’t been easy on my body. The litany of pressures and poor decisions is a list for another day, but I’ve pushed hard. And now I have another decision to make.

Am I Pushing My Rehab Too Hard?

Do I continue to push hard, pressuring my rehab process to “get back into shape” (aren’t I currently a shape?) and look impressive? Or do I try for real healing?

I’m attempting to do the second option, and taking my time crawling out of this hole. Because I have found that this process is full of gifts, if I take the time to recognize them. I’m changing the way that I stand, walk, and breathe. I’m setting up for longevity.

If you are pushing hard, driving towards your physical goals with ruthless intensity, I get it. There are so many pressures. But I also know the consequences.

Every day I gain more appreciation for the foundations and fundamentals of movement. For the scary, boring re-animation of this body. If I could give my earlier self one piece of advice it would be: don’t wait until you break to do the deep work.

Is there one thing you can add or subtract or modify from your training to prioritize the deep work? What would you really lose if you took that time?