Injuries and Icy Roads
The much-needed snow that hit the Wasatch front the last few weeks helped cover the rocks on the ski hills, but also made the roads a little more slippery than usual. It also reminded me of a metaphor I use for responding to injuries and pain. I believe how we handle pain and/or injury has a lot in common with how we respond to some unexpected ice on the roads in the winter.
In both instances, panic can make things worse, spinning a manageable situation out of control. Just as slamming on the brakes while driving on ice can lead to an uncontrolled skid, abruptly “slamming the brakes” on life can send your pain/injury skidding off the road. If you would humor me, let’s explore the parallels between responding to an injury and driving on icy roads, emphasizing the importance of remaining calm, thoughtful, and in control.
Stay Calm and Steer
In both scenarios, it is key to remain calm and maintain control over what you can control. When losing control on icy roads, taking your foot off the gas and steering intentionally can help you navigate the situation. Likewise, when confronted with an injury, it's crucial to temporarily ease off activities that cause acute pain while continuing to steer the aspects of your life that contribute to overall health and healing.
Healthy Habits to Steer Towards
- Sleep: Adequate sleep is a crucial component of the healing process. Even more so when dealing with an injury, because when you are sleeping, your body repairs and strengthens damaged tissue. Research shows athletes who sleep less are more likely to sustain new injuries and take longer to recover from previous injuries.
- Nutrition: What we feed/fuel our bodies with plays a significant role in the body's ability to heal. Maintaining a balanced and nutritious diet is essential. This means prioritizing whole foods, incorporating fruits and vegetables, consuming adequate protein (protein is the building block of all human tissues!), and continuing to meet your normal caloric needs.
- Hydration: We have all heard the human body is 70% water, and keeping our cells and tissues hydrated keeps everything working as it should. Dehydration can cause fatigue, issues with blood pressure, decreased muscle function, altered digestion, and can compromise the integrity of our connective tissues (tendons, ligaments, and fascia).
- Stress Management: Pain and injury are in themselves sources of stress for the body (physical, psychological, and emotional). This additional stress takes up precious energy and resources our body needs to put towards recovery. That makes managing normal stressors (which we all have regardless of pain or injury) even more important. Think about strategies you already use for stress management, and how you can be more consistent with these while dealing with pain and injury.
- Engagement with Support Systems: Staying connected with friends, family, and “your people” is crucial during times of injury. This can be a huge part of the stress management mentioned above, and it gives you positive experiences to think about and look forward to. Pain and injuries can create a tunnel-vision view of our lives, and staying connected with our social connections widens our view and helps us focus on the support, love, and community we have in our lives.
- Strategic Exercise: While certain activities may need to be modified temporarily, maintaining a smart exercise routine can contribute to overall well-being. It can be as simple as walking your dog or daily stretching, or it can be an advanced aggressive strength routine, but our bodies are made to move and finding a realistic routine that keeps you moving throughout your recovery is key.
***Notice exercise is at the bottom of this list! How could a physical therapist say that? The truth is, that if we are not attending to the factors above no amount of exercise is going to dig us out of that hole. I DO believe that exercise is a critical part of recovering from pain and injury, but we need to understand where it fits in the higherarchy!
The Other Extreme: Pedal to the Metal
On icy roads, the opposite extreme to slamming the brakes would be flooring the gas pedal. Again, this is just not in your best interest if your goal is to maintain control in an icy driving situation. It will likely take an unfortunate circumstance and quickly send it towards disaster. In the same way, when your body is giving you feedback that there is something to pay attention to (i.e. pain/injury) disregarding reality and pressing harder with a “no pain, no gain” attitude can turn a minor injury into a major pain.
Tow Trucks and Snow Tires: How Physical Therapy can Help
When your car ends up in a snowbank, you might need a tow truck to pull you out and get you back on the road. Physical therapy serves a similar purpose for injuries – it can be the tow truck that helps pull you out of a painful situation and set you on a safe productive path to recovery.
Physical therapy should go beyond pulling you out of the snow bank and addressing immediate issues. It is also about installing those metaphorical snow tires that are your tools to handle future challenges independently. We can help identify underlying issues such as strength/mobility limitations, poor training plans, and even unproductive beliefs about pain/injury. Ultimately, we want to equip you with the tools and confidence needed to navigate future "snowstorms" or physical challenges all by yourself.
At the end of the day, icy roads and injuries can both really knock us off course. If you have pain or an injury that is limiting the important parts of your life, we would love to help set you back on the road with the “right set of tires!”