What a Physical Injury Taught Me About My Mental Health
Nov.2.2017
Nov.2.2017
It is no secret that exercise plays a huge role in keeping the mind and body ha healthy and happy. According to the National Institute of Health, exercise improves mental health by reducing anxiety, depression and negative mood, and by improving self-esteem and cognitive function. We've all, or most of us has been through an injury that caused us to be side or unable to maneuver. Imagine it, we began to feel groggy and really depressed. Our friends and families invites us to go out or there's a tournament that your team must play the next day but you can't go because of a torn ACL or broken bone. There could only be limited motions and you could only commute to school/ work and home. After 1 week you began to feel sad and depressed, well for me at least I was. After reading this article I noticed that the author was suffering from past anxieties and depression and it gotten worst when he was injured. He had suffered two injuries in his leg and foot and had to wear a cast for several months. During those times he find ways to cope and with his injuries with 7 encouraging steps to keep in mind:
1. Resting and healing is its own form of productivity
2. Focus on what you can control
3. Meditate
4. keep a journal
5. Consider therapy
6. Stay social
7. Remember it wont as bad
I agree with majority of these seven points because I have gone through a lot of sports related injuries and car accidents and it broken many bones. I fractured my clavicle while playing football and broken ribs during a car accident. While going through all of these injuries I began to develop depression because I felt so lonely and antisocial. I was at my all time low but one thing that stood out to me is to stay socially active and positive. The more you isolate yourself from society it can cause more anxiety and depression. I believe that it's better to either be texting or on social media to keep your mind of of things like gaining weight, not being able to play in a championship game, or feeling lonely. Its always important to remember that even though your body is a different entity from your mind, they still function and work as one. If your get injuries physically it can injure you mind as well. Physically injuries has taught me that I should also work on my mental health and rehab both so there is an equal balance.
1. Resting and healing is its own form of productivity
2. Focus on what you can control
3. Meditate
4. keep a journal
5. Consider therapy
6. Stay social
7. Remember it wont as bad
I agree with majority of these seven points because I have gone through a lot of sports related injuries and car accidents and it broken many bones. I fractured my clavicle while playing football and broken ribs during a car accident. While going through all of these injuries I began to develop depression because I felt so lonely and antisocial. I was at my all time low but one thing that stood out to me is to stay socially active and positive. The more you isolate yourself from society it can cause more anxiety and depression. I believe that it's better to either be texting or on social media to keep your mind of of things like gaining weight, not being able to play in a championship game, or feeling lonely. Its always important to remember that even though your body is a different entity from your mind, they still function and work as one. If your get injuries physically it can injure you mind as well. Physically injuries has taught me that I should also work on my mental health and rehab both so there is an equal balance.
THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO GETTING INJURED
Nov.7.2017
Nov.7.2017
" If you want to get hurt, chasing numbers is an excellent way to go. It’s foolproof. You’ll eventually end up staring at a loaded-up barbell that is probably 15-30 pounds heavier than your comfort level...
The gym, contrary to popular belief, is not for hard work, sweat and near-tears. This is a fun zone, people...", said no one who goes to the gym..
This is a definitive guide on how you can immediately turn training from a beneficial activity into a highly risky one.
#1 Chase Performance Numbers
#2 Force Feed Exercises into Programming
#3 Always Stick to Your Program
#4 Listen to Everyone
#5 Train Around Clueless People
#6 Downplay Recovery
#7 Make the Gym a Social Scene
#etc..
This scenario happens everyday in the weight room and around the world. I admit that I've done it and majority of my gym buddies too. Chasing numbers during competition is totally a different story but if you're there to build muscle and not gain attention then lay off loading the weights. Do not miss quote me or this article! There's nothing wrong finding your PR (personal record) but unless you're doing it every time you step foot into the gym, then your're asking for injuries. From my experience, many of my friends including myself have had this ego of walking into the gym and loading weights, maxing out on my bench and squat and felt totally fine, but after one month I began noticing pain. I began feeling pain in my right shoulder and lower back from benching/ squats because of the heavy loads of set and reps. Your body needs time to adapt and you want to put yourself in positions that is mobile and have strength for.
Another common mistake is listening to everyone..most people nowadays go turn to social media for fitness and advice but many of these fitness celebrities either are out to get your money or don't have any clue what they're even talking about when training someone else. You know your body better than the person sitting next to you.. If it comes down to nutritional facts and advice that's a different story. Ever heard of " You need to lift heavier and fewer reps so that your muscle and can tear and grow.."? well that's a genius way to increase risk of injuries and muscles actually tearing.. Like I said, you know your body best and what you're capable of. Don't hit the gym full of what people tell you and expect results.. it takes time and consistency. I find that this article relates to almost every gym and gym friends i have. There will be people without proper knowledge of how the body's physiology and anatomy works and listen to people or because they heard someone say etc. Focus on what your body is capable of and avoid injuries.
EARLY REHAB ACCELERATES RETURN TO SPORT AFTER MUSCLE INJURY
Nov.9.2017
Nov.9.2017
A common occurrence when it comes to physical therapy or rehabilitation is for patients and athletes to delay rehabilitation right after an injury. There are many factors as to why we may wait until treatment and one reason would be because we want to "tough it out" and hope the pain would go away on it own. This is common in athletes who do not want to be side line for rehabilitation and miss games. Another common reason is because we do not want to go through the time of setting and scheduling appointments and setting time for therapy sessions. Whatever the reason is it's best to start rehabilitation treatment right after an injury to avoid any other injuries to arise and prevent further damages or pain in your everyday life. In this article studies showed that athletes who went through therapy two days after the their injury return to sports sooner than those undergo the same treatment and waited nine days. I find that this is true because when I did not go through with my therapeutic session when i broke my ribs, I ended up stuck in bed and delayed my every day activities. The moment I began therapy I was able to move or regain some of my ranges of motions that I've lost. It is important to start rehab ASAP because it can prevent prolong pain and get you back sooner than waiting.