4 Common Training Mistakes After an Injury

As an athlete, pushing your body to its limit — and sometimes beyond — is a core part of your life, even if it means ignoring aches and pains. While you may be used to training through pain, pushing yourself too hard after an injury can cause more harm than good.

Today, Terrapin Care Center, your trusted provider of massage therapy and other pain relieving services, discusses four common mistakes individuals make when returning to training after an injury.

1. Increasing Workload as Soon as the Pain Starts to Go Away

Many think that once the pain goes away, the injury is fully healed. This is not necessarily true. While reduced pain is a sign of healing, the affected area still needs more time to fully recover. This is why your trainer or health care professional will promote a progressive loading plan as part of your rehabilitation process.

2. Addressing Only the Site of Pain, Not the Cause

A common mistake when it comes to managing injuries is focusing only on relieving the pain. While pain management is an important part of treatment, addressing the root cause of the pain must be the top priority. At Terrapin Care Center, we understand there are various factors to consider when creating your pain management plan. Getting to the root of the issue not only solves the problem, but it can also save you from recurring injuries and pain.

3. Failure to Continue Basic Soft Tissue Exercises for Maintenance

Athletes, coaches and their partner health care experts should keep in mind that just because there’s no pain, it doesn’t mean your affected muscle or joint has regained full function. If you push too hard in your training while recovering from an injury, the soft tissues around the area may become stiff. Keeping up with soft tissue exercises helps prevent this from happening and keep you pain-free.

4. Not Following Your Individualized Program

Although certain types of injuries may be common for the same type of athletes, each individual is different and will need a unique recovery plan. At Terrapin Care Center, we create customized physical therapy goals according to your needs and current physical condition. We’ll adjust the exercises, sets, reps and progression rate based on the type of your injury and its severity.

To learn more do’s and don’ts about returning to training after an injury, get in touch with us at (301) 220-1930 or complete our form. We serve Greenbelt, Silver Spring and the surrounding MD communities.