22 August 2024
How to Recover From a Sports Injury With Exercise, Without Making It Worse
Sitting Still: A Health Hazard?
In today's modern world, many of us spend a significant portion of our day sitting – whether it's at a desk, in a car, or on the couch. While it might seem harmless, prolonged sitting can have detrimental effects on our health. Fortunately, there are simple strategies to combat the negative consequences of a sedentary lifestyle.
The Dangers of Sedentary Living
Excessive sitting has been linked to a variety of health problems, including:
- Obesity: Reduced physical activity can lead to weight gain and increased risk of obesity-related diseases.
- Heart disease: A sedentary lifestyle can contribute to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
- Type 2 diabetes: Lack of physical activity can impair insulin sensitivity, leading to increased blood sugar levels.
- Back pain: Prolonged sitting can strain the muscles and ligaments in the back, leading to pain and discomfort.
The Importance of Movement
To counteract the negative effects of sitting, it's essential to incorporate regular physical activity into your daily routine. Here are some key strategies:
- Get up and move: Break up long periods of sitting with short bursts of activity. Take a walk, do some stretches, or simply stand up and move around.
- Strength training: Building muscle mass can help boost your metabolism and improve overall health. Incorporate strength training exercises into your routine, such as squats, lunges, and push-ups.
- Mobility training: Improving your range of motion can help prevent injuries and enhance your overall performance. Focus on exercises that target your joints and connective tissues, such as yoga, Pilates, or mobility drills.
The Benefits of Physical Activity
Regular physical activity offers numerous benefits, including:
- Improved cardiovascular health: Exercise strengthens the heart and lungs, reducing the risk of heart disease.
- Weight management: Regular physical activity can help you maintain a healthy weight and reduce the risk of obesity.
- Increased energy levels: Exercise can boost your mood and energy levels.
- Better sleep: Regular physical activity can improve sleep quality.
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By making a conscious effort to incorporate more movement into your daily life, you can significantly reduce the risks associated with prolonged sitting and improve your overall health and well-being. Remember, it's never too late to start!
If you've got a persistent sports injury, a dodgy knee, a shoulder that never fully healed, a lower back that flares up every time you try to train, you're probably frustrated.
You might have had physio. You might have rested for months. And yet the problem keeps coming back.
Here's why: rest and passive treatment alone rarely fix the underlying cause of a sports injury.
The root of most recurring injuries is weakness or movement dysfunction and the only way to address those is through progressive, targeted exercise.
The Most Common Mistake in Injury Recovery
Most people either rest completely (which weakens the area further) or return to full training too soon (which re-injures the same structures).
The sweet spot is a structured rehabilitation programme that progressively loads the injured area in a controlled way.
As a Functional Range Conditioning Mobility Specialist (FRCms), I assess joint function before building a programme that specifically targets the movement restrictions and weaknesses driving your injury.
What an Exercise-Based Rehab Programme Looks Like
- Week 1–2: Joint assessment and movement re-education, teaching the body to move properly around the injury
- Week 3–4: Controlled strength work at the end of the available range of motion
- Week 5–8: Progressive loading, building strength and resilience in the injured tissue
- Week 9–12: Sport or activity-specific conditioning, preparing for return to full training
Why This Works
Tendons, ligaments and muscles respond to load. When you progressively challenge them with controlled exercise, they adapt and become stronger.
When you avoid using them, they weaken. The research is clear: exercise-based rehabilitation produces better long-term outcomes than rest alone for the vast majority of musculoskeletal injuries.
Getting Started in Orpington
Conditioned Fitness in Orpington offers sports injury rehabilitation programmes with Massimo Massaro BSc FRCms. One of very few personal trainers in South East London with an advanced qualification specifically in joint health and mobility.
Sessions are 100% private, 1:1, and tailored to your injury and your goals.
If you're dealing with a persistent sports injury in the Orpington, Bromley, or Sevenoaks area, call
07950 398025 to book a free assessment.
