4 Myths About Exercising After an Injury That Seriously Need to Die

When an event becomes life-changing, all kinds of mundane details are seared into your memory.

I was thinking of what dressing I would add to my salad when I fell awkwardly from the climbing wall and landed on my back. I limped home in terrible pain.

After four months of trying some physiotherapy and waiting to let the injury heal on its own, I walked into the operating theatre to remove a herniated spinal disc.

Months of shuffling around, not being able to sit or stand for long, came down to a 30-minute surgery to rid me of the pain.

It’s the tail-end consequences of events that we find toughest to deal with. In this case, my recovery.

I listened to a truckload of advice on how to get back to exercising after an injury — some scary and some reckless. By the end I realised how overwhelmed and directionless any fitness enthusiast will feel after hearing it.

Today, 9 months after my operation, I am at 30% fitness of what I used to have before November 2022. And I’ve had to tackle serious misinformation to get here.

//Make Peace. Heck no!

The injury and the surgery put my fitness routine on pause. Let me be honest, it was frustrating. From rock climbing to just about managing the stairs, it felt like a lousy deal.

Everyone who knew my fitness routine told me to cheer up and make peace with the forced fitness sabbatical.

Heck no! I was not going to rest till I found ways to make myself feel like me again.

I need that feeling the most — of being in action without being active like I was used to.

What did I do? Made a new game plan and put everything I knew into creating it.

There was this new recovery peak to climb — how to get to the top? Plot the route, mark the camps to the summit, make a list of the equipment and show up at base camp 1.

//Get Movin’

Movement is medicine. Strategic exercises tailored to your injury can speed up recovery.

Resting continuously is the worst thing you can do to yourself. Get on your feet, move about.

I filled used soda bottles with water and started bench presses and arm curls. The exercise bands I ordered came just in time for me to start leg work a week later. Base Camp 1.

Walking and climbing stairs were the next set of activities. Camp 1 achieved.

With every ‘Camp’, I felt confident and stronger.

I slowly increased my walking time. By month four, I could even jog a bit without jarring my spine. 

When I could do that without any discomfort, I jogged downhill and walked uphill on the same stretch for months. A measured track is your best gauge for how much you have progressed.

I was careful, of course, but I was not going to let those muscles die on me.

This was me making peace with the fact that I was not going to just sit and wait to heal. I was actively driving the process.

//Diet Dramas

Life after an injury doesn’t need to lead to dramatic changes. It’s more of the same old with more of what will help recovery. I was not about to switch to a salad diet or sit in ice baths.

My plan aimed at small tweaks, not a lifestyle overhaul.

The best thing I did was not to stop my protein intake just because I was no longer as active. In fact, now was the time I would need it the most. Protein heals and repairs, remember?

Some of my meals were the same as I ate before but at a different time to go with medication. I gave up the occasional junk food I used to have. It interfered with my recovery medicines rather than being a pleasure to consume.

I did NOT stop my favourite foods. That would have been a new low altogether. Instead, I relied on moderate and informed consumption.

Tiny adjustments in your diet can make a world of difference. You don’t need to suddenly go keto or paleo or anything else.

The injury is shock enough for your body to deal with. Don’t add the stress of consuming food it is not used to, or you don’t like.

//Life in Suspension

Ah, setbacks — the annoying little roadblocks on the path to fitness. They sting, they throw us off, but guess what? They are inevitable.

I had my share of setbacks when recovery plateaued for almost three weeks. Nothing felt like progress and life sucked.

My focus remained on the peak I had to climb. Your life need not be suspended with each setback. The story has to go on.

It’s tempting to coddle that knee or tender shoulder. Wrapping bubble wrap around yourself won’t do any good.

Your body’s a smart cookie. Muscles have memory. If you already know what fitness you are capable of, believe that you can do it again.

The surgery prevented me from riding my 200 kilo motorcycle. But hey, I had two good feet. Have legs, will walk.

I used the time to explore neighbourhoods, try different cafes and parks in my city. I had not been to some of those places in years.

So get that ‘fragile’ label off your back, will you?

Some of the greatest athletes have battled injuries and come back fiercer. You can, too.

It’s not the Olympics you are racing for. You just need to be back to your fitter, functional and flexible self. 

And you’ll be back doing your favourite activities in no time.

//Last

I am at 30% today. My aim is to be my fittest self by November 2024.

Injuries are like unwanted guests at your party. They often overstay their welcome.

But the road to recovery is not as scary as you might think. It is time to put an end to some pesky myths about exercising post-injury that are holding you back from getting back in the game.

Remember, injuries might slow us down, but they can’t keep us down forever.

Here’s to bouncing back stronger, fitter, and ready to conquer those fitness goals!