I’m definitely no stranger to chronic injuries.
IT Band Syndrome. Herniated discs in my lower back. And my current injury? Achilles Tendonitis.
Oh the frustration! Here’s where my mind wants to lead me:
“The weather’s getting warmer and all I want to do is run, dance, walk and hike!”
“Everybody else gets to have fun. It’s not fair!”
“I just want to be NORMAL again.”
Sound familiar? I’ve spent a lot of time in that mindset, so I get it. However, I’m happy to report that I’ve successfully healed my body from every chronic injury I’ve ever faced, and I’ve worked with countless clients that have done the same. I know that you can to!
Check out the video below or continue reading to learn the 7 things to remember when you’re battling a chronic injury:
1. Your body wants to heal itself
Throughout my life, doctors have tried to convince me of many things about my body:
“You’ll always have asthma and will always need an inhaler.” Oh really? Is that why I haven’t used one since I was 16?
“You’ll need surgery for those herniated discs because they’ll never heal on their own.” I healed those 3 discs on my own over 3 years ago.
“You’ll always have osteoporosis.” One year later, I reversed the bone loss – without medication.
The list is endless. My point is that it would’ve been easy to fall into the trap of believing I was doomed for life, and that my body is somehow weak. But I choose to believe otherwise: I choose to believe that my body wants to heal itself.
If you believe you’ll be injured and limited forever, guess what? You will be.
Mindset. Believe that you will heal and you will.
2. Stop blaming yourself
With my current injury, I know I pushed myself too hard and overtrained. I was sleep deprived, dehydrated and anxious – a recipe for disaster. So yes, I knew better and this was a wake up call. However, stewing in thoughts like, “How could I be so stupid?” isn’t going to heal my tendon any faster. In fact, it’s just going to take up space from the positive mindset I know I need to heal.
Whatever you think you did to cause this injury, let it go.
Yes, perhaps you overtrained. Yes, perhaps you weren’t being mindful. Ok, we get it. Can we move on now? The sooner you can stop blaming yourself, the faster you can put yourself on the road to recovery.
3. Hate never heals
Right now, I’m nursing my Achilles tendon back to health. It’s easy to look at my “good” left ankle, compare it to my “bad” right ankle, and get angry. There have been times where I’ve actually found myself staring at the inflamed tendon saying, “Ugh! I hate you!”
Let’s be real here though: Hate never heals. Hate destroys.
So now I take a different approach: I shower that right Achilles with as much love as possible. Giving too much energy to an injury is never a good thing because it just fuels the issue. Giving too much love? Not possible. Foot massages, diet modifications specifically for building tendon strength and gentle exercises – these are all part of my Achilles healing plan.
Oh, and stop calling it your “bad” {ankle, leg, elbow, wrist}! Good – bad: Stop already. It’s not bad, and it’s not a “problem.” In fact, I highly encourage you to name that little sore spot. My right Achilles tendon shall now be called Apollo (do a little research on Greek Mythology and you’ll understand why).
Love your body. Accept, nurture, nourish, massage and give it what it needs to heal.
4. Short term pain, long term gain
Whenever I’m injured, it’s easy for my mind to spiral out of control and focus on all the things I can’t do.
“I won’t be able to hike when I travel!”
“I won’t be able to go on long walks as the weather gets warmer!”
“I won’t be able to play Dance Jam on Wii!”
These thoughts lead me to want to rush the healing process, which we all know never ends well. It always leads to re-injury, sometimes even worse than the original injury, which ends up leading to even MORE down time, and MORE frustration.
Being injured feels painful. It’s important to remain patient. Use this as an opportunity to try other forms of working out, or to explore other ways to occupy your time. Be conservative and give your body the gift of time to fully heal. When you do, you’ll come back even stronger.
Remember the big picture: Short term “pain” for long term gain. I put “pain” in quotes because hopefully you’ll learn that this healing process doesn’t actually need to be painful at all!
5. Uncover the lesson
Every injury teaches me an invaluable lesson. It gives me a wake up call and pushes me into the present moment. This inflamed Achilles tendon is a reminder that I need to slow down, and that if I continue to repeat old habits (running too hard when I’m stressed out, dehydrated and exhausted), I’ll continue to re-injure myself.
Injuries and pain are one way for our bodies to communicate with us. The “chronic” part comes in when we don’t listen. This injury has been put in your path for a reason. What is it trying to teach you?
6. Trust your body
If I listened to everybody else when it came to my injuries (doctors, friends, family, etc.), I’d be loaded up on anti-inflammatories, spending thousands of dollars on various treatments and probably would’ve undergone surgery on 90% of my body at this point.
Ok. Perhaps that’s an over exaggeration, but I think you get my point: Everybody has an opinion based on their own experience, training, background and beliefs. But at the end of the day, this is YOUR body, so YOU’RE the driver of this car.
It’s easy to get stuck in a cycle of doctors, treatments, medications, etc. There is a time and place for both Eastern and Western therapeutic techniques. Take in everything you’re hearing and give yourself time to absorb how it feels. With this current injury, I had one doctor swear the pain was coming from my lower back. But I know my body, and I know he’s incorrect. I trust myself enough to NOT act on his recommendations.
7. You’re not alone
The chronic injury battle: I’ve been there. Countless clients of mine have been there. Friends. Family. Coworkers.
More people than you realize are battling their bodies. You’re not alone. Find support from those who understand, and distance yourself from those who don’t.
Having a chronic injury can mean a slew of things. Get to know YOUR body and trust your intuition about how to heal it.
You’re stronger than you realize. BELIEVE.
Do you know somebody that’s struggling with chronic injury? Send them this video and let them know they’re not alone!
