Returning to [insert activity here] after injury

[ski diva]

So tomorrow I'm going on my first road bike ride since my infamous bike accident last July. I've ridden since then, but only on my hybrid on bike paths, which is a very different experience. But I love biking along Lake Champlain, and I've promised myself I'm going to take it very easy and not do anything nuts. I still contend that I'm not going to road bike as much as I did before, but I might do it on occasion, if this goes okay.

So I'm wondering: many of us here have suffered injuries, not just while skiing, but while doing many other activities, too. It's part of the price we pay for staying active. Me, on the other hand, had never ever been injured doing anything until my accident last summer. Color me lucky. So how did you handle returning to the activity in which you were injured? Or did you give it up entirely? I think my mindset would be different if I'd been hurt while skiing. I mean, skiing is everything to me, and I only bike to get through the off season. I really have reservations about doing something that could jeopardize my ability to ski. What was your experience? i'd like to hear.

 

[Abbi]

I've been pretty well beaten up racing sailboats .... including elbow surgery. And I still do it. Go and see how you feel!

I can say after a car accident (NMF) I was jumpy for a long time so .....

 

[santacruz skier]

I was really nervous the first day I skied this past season after avulsion fracture of ACL and torn meniscus with no surgery. It was fine and I was pretty cautious. My knee is not what is was before the injury, but I think I've got some scar tissue going as have stiffness and cannot really completely straighten my leg. That being said, I did ski 35 days this year (nothing compared to many), but that's about average for me.
Also for the first time in two years I started running again. Short runs only for about 20-25 minutes in a nice loop . I have a choice of running along the ocean or through an open space area and lagoon behind my house so consider me lucky! Yesterday I actually went for a run in the morning and a short bike ride in the afternoon.
Let us know how you do @ski diva .....

 

[marzNC]

So I'm wondering: many of us here have suffered injuries, not just while skiing, but while doing many other activities, too. It's part of the price we pay for staying active. Me, on the other hand, had never ever been injured doing anything until my accident last summer. Color me lucky. So how did you handle returning to the activity in which you were injured? Or did you give it up entirely? I think my mindset would be different if I'd been hurt while skiing. I mean, skiing is everything to me, and I only bike to get through the off season. I really have reservations about doing something that could jeopardize my ability to ski. What was your experience? i'd like to hear.

Good for you for getting back out there. Will probably take a little while, but it's worth the effort for an outdoor activity you obviously like to do in the summer.

By the time I was in college, I'd had bad ankle sprains that kept me from playing on school soccer teams more than once. A side effect is that I learned how to fall instead of rolling an ankle. Haven't had a bad ankle sprain since college but have ended up on the ground on occasion when I stepped in some sort of a hole by accident. Stopped playing recreational soccer around age 25.

Other sports that I played and stopped playing at some point include tennis. I never played that much after high school as an intermediate rec player mostly because I didn't have friends my age who played. As a working adult, the people I knew who played tennis regularly were either too serious about it or 10-15 years younger. When I developed carpal tunnel from how I used a mouse and computer keyboard around age 40, I stopped looking for ways to play tennis.

Oh the other hand, driving in certain situations after a car accident was tougher. I've had two accidents related when I made a left turn. Neither involved any injuries. But it took quite a while to feel as comfortable as before, as others have mentioned. Twenty years later, I still prefer finding routes that avoid left turns that don't have a left turn light at busy intersections.

 

[MilkyWookiee]

I grew up riding horses and "get back on the horse" is not just a figure of speech! It's important to get back to the activity as soon as you can safely do so and for it to be a positive experience. Unfortunately everyone is unique in what makes it "positive" and it's hard to know until you're out there. For me it was always the structure and security of being coached in a lesson that helped shake the nerves. I had a friend who really liked the lack of structure of trail rides. But overall I think being with other people who understand the activity is key. They can be your safety net or just there for comaraderie, whatever you need.

 

[snowski/swimmouse]

I think I'm too stubborn to give something up because of injury, though I'm definitely way more cautious. Let us know how it went @skidiva.

 

[VickiK]

Returning to an activity after an injury, I'm a little more cautious, testing it out for weakness or pain. I've never given up an activity due to injury, but I could see how that might happen.

I love skiing too. If I couldn't ski, though, well, I think I'd do something else in the snow, like XC.

Glad to hear you've gotten out on the bike again! Do you have a hybrid and a road bike? I really should get out on my bikes more often.

 

[ski diva]

So I did it! And survived! You know, stuff like this really messes with your head. I was pretty nervous when we started out, but it got better as we went on. I think it helped that we were on very lightly travelled roads in one of my favorite places in the world: Grand Isle, VT, in Lake Champlain. The scenery is amazing, so it helped distract me from thinking I could go down at any second and kill myself.

I'm glad we went. Biking is such a great work-out, and I missed that. I'm still not sure I'm going to ride as much as I did before, or with as much intensity. We took it pretty easy. I'll just take it one ride at a time. But I made it! So hat's off to me!

 

[Jenny]

Congrats to you!

 

[snowski/swimmouse]

Yippee!!!

 

[Tvan]

Well done!!

 

[ilovepugs]

Way to go! I am so envious of your ride!

 

[VickiK]

For about the last year and a half, I had a regular home workout regimen that was a mix of cardio (some moderate steady state, some more intense interval type), weight lifting (10 lbs was the heaviest I used), and balance/flexibility. Each workout was about 30 min., and I followed a 5-6 days/week schedule.

This summer I developed a pain in my hip. There was no specific injury. I took a couple of months off from working out and started seeing a physical therapist. His diagnosis was sacroiliitis, stemming from issues with my lumbar spine (L4-L5) and some left-right side muscle imbalances. My issues were not terribly serious, but nonetheless real. I saw him for 10 sessions. The pain was managed through his manipulations and prescribed strengthening/flexibility exercises, and I “graduated” and was cleared for regular exercise and sports/activities. His one recommendation was to continue doing wall mountain climbers as a warm-up before working out.

Taking the time off from working out was tough. I feel like my fitness declined, my stress built up, and now I am re-establishing that habit.

Reading through this thread and others on the forum, like the one on CrossFit for older women, I stared questioning my workout routine, my schedule, etc. Does anyone have any advice on this?

Since getting cleared to workout, I started doing a weekly Pilates reformer class at a studio. Maybe I’ll add swimming—the local YMCA has a pool, and they offer aquatic workout classes. I am open to finding a personal trainer. I’m 60, and my priorities are to stay injury-free, improve strength/fitness, and enjoy the coming ski season.

 

[snowski/swimmouse]

Swimming is a ~huge~ benefit to me!

 

[Gloria]

For about the last year and a half, I had a regular home workout regimen that was a mix of cardio (some moderate steady state, some more intense interval type), weight lifting (10 lbs was the heaviest I used), and balance/flexibility. Each workout was about 30 min., and I followed a 5-6 days/week schedule.

This summer I developed a pain in my hip. There was no specific injury. I took a couple of months off from working out and started seeing a physical therapist. His diagnosis was sacroiliitis, stemming from issues with my lumbar spine (L4-L5) and some left-right side muscle imbalances. My issues were not terribly serious, but nonetheless real. I saw him for 10 sessions. The pain was managed through his manipulations and prescribed strengthening/flexibility exercises, and I “graduated” and was cleared for regular exercise and sports/activities. His one recommendation was to continue doing wall mountain climbers as a warm-up before working out.

Taking the time off from working out was tough. I feel like my fitness declined, my stress built up, and now I am re-establishing that habit.

Reading through this thread and others on the forum, like the one on CrossFit for older women, I stared questioning my workout routine, my schedule, etc. Does anyone have any advice on this?

Since getting cleared to workout, I started doing a weekly Pilates reformer class at a studio. Maybe I’ll add swimming—the local YMCA has a pool, and they offer aquatic workout classes. I am open to finding a personal trainer. I’m 60, and my priorities are to stay injury-free, improve strength/fitness, and enjoy the coming ski season.

I would look into a program like @geargrrl is doing. You want to find something that is part true strength training and part conditioning. I would avoid that which combines the two ie: simple circuit type training with weights. Basically you want a program that separates the two so you are getting some good lower rep higher weight training and then some more higher intensity training with or without weights. The problem with a program that combines both into one is the weights decrease the level you can reach cardiovascularly while the cardio aspect also decreases the amount of weight you can lift. Doing some strength training separately will allow you to make greater strength gains and build some muscle.

 

[VickiK]

Thanks, @Gloria ! That'll be my plan.