The Mental Impact of Injury: How to Adjust and Manage While Physically Recovering

A week after my surgery, I went to see my doctor. He took the stitches out, checked the swelling and told me everything was okay. Of course, all I wanted to know was when I could start doing things.

“Well, you should be doing some passive movement exercises. Lie down.”

I hopped up on the examining table. My left arm (bad arm) was pinned by the side of my body and forearm laid across my belly.

“Grab your left wrist with your right hand and bring your left arm up and over your head,” my doctor said.

“NO! Are you kidding me??”

“Just try.”

I raised my arm one to two inches off my belly. My doctor helped me lift my arm higher but I swear, I wanted to jump right off that table. Not only did my left arm feel like dead weight after sitting in a sling for a week, everything in my shoulder felt like it was knotted up like a tight ball of rubber bands that were about to snap.

Photo Credit: Brister Photo

Injuries suck. There’s no other way around it. You start back at zero just as quickly as you can get sent to jail in a game of Monopoly. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. Just go to jail and wait. And wait.

When you do get past the waiting period, you have to start from scratch and rebuild. When I think about the fact that I couldn’t lift my arm more than 2 inches off my torso, it makes me miss the good range of motion and mobility I used to have in my shoulder. Like a lot. Like being able to do reverse prayer. Like being able to flip my grip and grab my foot in king pigeon pose.

But more than the physical side of injury, it’s the mental impact of injury that I often underestimate.

That is a range of motion 180 degrees. That’s a long way from the 10-20 degrees I’m starting with now.

Whether you’re out for a week or your out for a year, injuries are hard. You’re in physical pain, you’re sidelined from doing things that you love, and you’re feeling down in the dumps. That’s when the mental impact of injury can really take its toll.

A few weeks ago, I was speaking with Sage Rountree, who’s a great yoga teacher and endurance sports coach, and she said, “Injury can be a great teacher and it forces you to slow down.”

“Injury can be a great teacher and it forces you to slow down.”
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Those life lessons have a way of sneaking up on you, don’t they.

Don’t stagnate.

So the whole reason that my doctor wanted me to try to lift my arm up was that he doesn’t want my shoulder to get stagnant and stiff. Scar tissue builds up but you need to break through those scars in order to regain mobility, flexibility and ability. That’s how we can heal and get better.

When we’re injured physically or emotionally, our instinct is to curl up into ourselves. It’s a defensive mechanism and we want to protect ourselves. While it’s normal and OK to get upset and pissy about your injury, don’t stagnate in those feelings. It won’t help with the healing process in the long run.

Practice non-attachment.

This is one of the yamas in yoga – one of the moral guidelines on our relationship with ourselves and others. The general idea is not to become attached at the outcomes of your actions. Instead, focus on the here and the now, the journey and the present moment. For example, in the physical practice of yoga, it’s not about achieving a specific expression of a posture but about taking the time on your mat to connect with yourself and your breath. The pose is just a by-product.

When we’re injured, it’s freaking hard not to be able to do the things that we love, especially when you identify yourself with a certain activity. You’re a runner. You’re a yogi. You’re (insert sport here). But what happens when you can’t do those things? This is a chance to practice non-attachment. You, as a person in this world, are more than just your yoga practice or your running or your sport.

OK, technically, I’m not supposed to be walking on the treadmill since there’s a risk I could fall. I guess taking a picture on a moving treadmill does not reduce my risk of falling.

Adjust Your Timeline

When I walked into my doctor’s office, I wanted to know my timeline – when could I lose the sling, when could I start doing some form of exercise, when could I start physical therapy, when would I be back to normal. He indulged me by giving me some rough dates in the future, but let’s be realistic. Those timelines are never accurate and always change.

Knowing that everything is in flux and that I really don’t know when I will be back to normal, I’m focusing on the day-to-day and taking note of the progress that I am making. During the first week after surgery, I mentioned to my son that I just wanted to have one day when I felt 100%.

“How many percents do you feel today Mommy?”

“About 50. I felt good in the morning but not so good this afternoon.”

Every day or two, he’ll ask me how many “percents” I feel today. Slowly, my percentage is moving up. Even if it’s one or two percentage points at a time, it’s still upward movement.

Do What You Can

While I might not be able to do everything that I want to do, I can still move. I can walk. I can use the stationary bike. I can do some squats. I can do what I can when I can (or feel OK about it). I’m embracing the idea of #wycwyc (what you can when you can) and trying to figure out what being active means for me right now. (P.S. You should check out the #wycwyc movement if you haven’t already and go pre-order the book!)

4 ways to manage the mental side of injury #fitfluential #runchat
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Whether you’re currently facing an injury, are injured in the future (which I really hope you aren’t) or are just in a tough spot, I hope that this offers some perspective. I will get through this. You will get through this. This is just a blip in the road. Right?!

By the way, I’m now able to lift my arm about 100/110 degrees from my belly.

How do you manage the mental impact of injury?

P.S. Here are so more tips and lessons from injury.

This post is part of a series of posts taking a closer look at the ingredients that make up my wellness story and is part of my partnership with Orgain as their Blogger Ambassador. Join in the conversation by following #HowIOrgain on social media. I received compensation and Orgain products as part of this program. All views and opinions expressed are 100% my own.

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