“No matter who you are, rehab is hard. You’re out of the team environment and you feel that absence acutely. It’s not just that you’re not there; it’s that someone else is there in your place, wearing your shirt, making your tackles, hitting your rucks, winning your turnovers, and the longer you’re out the more chance they have of staking a permanent claim to your spot.”
When reading Sam Warburton’s ‘Open Side’, this statement sparked thought in me.
Everyday we see the physical and mental journey the patient must go through when recovering from injury.
Rehab is hard.
Making the process a little harder is the current times we find ourselves in. The pandemic has changed all aspects of our lives and I sympathise even more with any patients rehabbing an injury at the minute.
There is no doubt that with the uncertainty of when sport will resume in 2021, the current situation is not an easy time for any athlete.
For anyone going through rehab, not having the support from a teammate in a gym session or a catch up with your friends at training is making this process a lot tougher on you.
Yet, there is a positive.
Now is the time to get on top of that niggle you keep ignoring or tying up ends of your rehab that you know need addressed.
What if getting stuck into your rehab right now when everything is on hold is actually the perfect chance to come back better than ever?
This is much easier said than done.
Any of you who have read the book ‘Atomic Habits’, will be familiar with the 1% rule…creating small habits to make a big difference. My advice…apply this to your rehab!
There will be days where getting stuck into your exercises is the last thing you want to do. Yet, pushing yourself to do something small, making a start, will build results. Daily improvements will open up a more promising big picture.
Successful rehab consists of a whole host of factors.
A good therapist is one of them. A good therapist will explain your injury, explain your rehab plan and be able to answer your questions. A good therapist will understand what you’re going through.
But the most important cog in the whole process of successful rehab, is a driven patient.
In my experience those clients who are consistent with rehab, achieve great results, no matter how hard it is.
To the lucky readers who aren’t injured or have never experienced the rehab process, congratulations! Maybe it’s worth checking in with your teammate who hasn’t been online doing Zoom training and might just be struggling.
To the folks carrying pain and injury, it’s okay every once in a while to throw the head up and think, ‘Why me? How will I ever be able to compete for a place on the team again?”
Something I have learned from my patients is that it’s the ones who keep going, keep growing, keep pushing for that 1% improvement that succeed.
They get to feel the true satisfaction of overcoming injury.
That’s the strength that makes you better than ever before.
Be good to yourself, especially these days.
Alice.
