Why Injuries Don’t Heal

Rackin’ up the AirMiles at the LCBO

Yes, collecting airmiles at the LCBO can be a fun game, but it’s really not going to help you recover from an injury. Alcohol effects our sleep. When we pass out (interestingly enough, same thing happens with sleeping pills!) we don’t go into a deep sleep. Deep sleep is when we recover and replenish our body from whatever stress we’ve put it through that day. So, if you miss that ever important REM sleep, it’s going to take longer to recover from an injury or DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness).

Alcohol can also alter our pain levels. Temporarily, it feels pretty good to numb the pain right? Well, we are taking away the perception of the body to protect that injury. The other down fall of throwing back a few bevvies is the alcohol depletes energy from the body, dehydrates you, and it impairs muscle growth, therefore hinders recovery.

Missing a Few Food Groups?

No, the four main food groups aren’t candy, candy canes, candy corn and syrup, Buddy. A nutrition plan that is optimal for you can help to speed recovery. Are you eating too little? Are you not getting enough protein or good fats? Are you hydrated? Find a reliable source to get help in this area (Do not watch Elf for advice). Here are some resources to check out: Precision Nutrition, Eat to Perform, Barbell Shrugged (barbell shredded, barbell bikini).

If you’ve ever had an injury that has taken you outta the game for a bit you know: injuries blow. Big ones. Plain and simple, they interfere with training, your daily life, sleep and they start to play with your mind.

Here are the top reasons why your injury is probably not budging:

1. You Don’t Move Well. 

If moving poorly caused your injury (If you are shaking your head no, it probably did), taking some time off to recover by sitting and watching T.V. isn’t going to get you anywhere. When you go back to lifting you are still not going to move well. Moving poorly, means moving inefficiently, when this happens certain structures or tissues have to work harder to complete a lift and eventually that overused tissue will start yelling at you. So, get your foam rollers out, stay tuned to this site, look up MWOD by KStar, go see a Physiotherapist, or another specialise who knows how to watch you move and help you move better. Wouldn’t it be awesome if we worked on mobility before we even got that nagging pain? But PR’ing your mobility just isn’t cool….yet

2. Catch up on Your zzz’s

If you aren’t sleeping for a good 8 hours straight, start now. Stop reading and go to bed. If you can’t sleep through the night, for whatever reason – figure that out. You need to get enough restful, deep sleep in order to perform well, mentally function well, and recover. If it’s pain – see a specialist. If it’s the running tally of things you need to do the next day – slow your roll, meditate, chill out. If it’s hunger – eat good fats and protein at dinner/night snack. Whatever it is – deal with it.

3. You’re a Lone Wolf

If you have been trying to tackle the injury without a team of specialists, it may be time to make the jump. Go and see a Physiotherapist, Chiropractor or movement specialist of some sort. Google is great for searching SO many things, but solely using google to get you better may not be the easiest. You need someone to assess your movement and pain, diagnose and create a treatment plan, and coach you through proper exercises to help you recover. Also, the issue may not always be where you think – your shoulder is the painful area, but it may be coming from the neck or poor movement through your mid-back, or your initial setup when you address the bar to pull off the ground.
Go recover people!