When is it okay to exercise whilst injured?

It is a common misconception that when we are injured we need to rest that injured body part, however that usually isn’t the best option. Even if you have been advised to rest your injury that doesn’t mean you can’t be working on the surrounding areas. For example, have you ever sprained your ankle and realised your back has begun to stiffen up from lack of movement. The best thing to do in that situation would be to get your hips, knees and back moving and loading to keep them from reconditioning. This will keep you from discomfort whilst waiting for your injury to heal as well as reducing your recovery time and making it easier to return to activity. 

You may have heard the term RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) and for a long time that was believed to be the optimal treatment for an acute injury. A study published in 2012 updated that to POLICE (Protect, Optimal Loading, Ice, Compression, Elevation) Protect emphasises the importance of avoiding further tissue damage, but doesn’t imply indefinite immobilisation. Optimal loading will stimulate the healing process as bone, tendon, ligament, and muscle all require some loading to stimulate healing. Ice has an analgesic effect to help with pain relief. Compression helps to constrict blood flow to the area to reduce tissue inflammation. Elevation aids venous return (blood flow back to the heart) reducing inflammation. 

There are unfortunately some instances where complete rest is best. For example severe fractures that are waiting to be operated on, any post surgery injuries where the scarring is waiting to heal (sweat can lead to an infection) and if you are suffering from a local infection (increased blood flow can spread the infection). 

Ultimately you know your body better than anyone else and if you listen to your body it will tell you what is right and what is wrong. Some discomfort is okay when exercising and can actually be beneficial to create positive changes, however that should be no more than a 2-3/10 pain (if 10 was the worst pain ever). Anymore than a 2-3/10 pain and your body is telling you that is beyond where you're at at the moment. My recommendation is that you are always better off doing less than you think you could've. If you feel fine following the exercise that is a good sign you can push harder next time. But if you have overdone it then it’s difficult to reverse the discomfort. 

As always if you’re not sure what you should be doing, see a healthcare professional. They will be able to assess you and advise you on what you should and shouldn’t be doing to optimise your recovery. If you are a member at Rise speak to James who will be happy to help.