Fighting the Injury Blues

[Gin-Gin]

Oss, Everyone! (salute) http://www.kenpotalk.com/forum/images/smilies/fun/smileJap.gif

As some of you may have noticed, I've been away from MT for a while. This was for a couple of reasons: First, I originally wanted a break to spend a little more time with friends/family & try to develop something of a social life outside of martial arts; Second, I got injured over the holidays & have been feeling depressed & a little anti-social.

I have a sprained left foot & ankle, and my right foot has a contusion (sp?) on it which, if I understood the doctor correctly, is a blood clot--a bruise on top an another bruise, or something like that. I have to keep both feet elevated, use ice packs & take ibuprofen until they heal, which will be in a few weeks (exactly how many the doctor couldn't say).

I miss training so much--in addition to it being my workout & stress reliever, I miss the school, my instructors, & my fellow classmates. It's frustrating, because I'd been getting ready to test for stripe when it happened, & I know that I'm gaining weight every day that I don't work out. http://www.kenpotalk.com/forum/images/smilies/frown.gif (I can do stomach crunches on my back with my feet in the air, so I guess that's better than nothing.) I'm watching a lot of TV, catching up on threads on MT & KT, & occasionally looking at my belt chart to review the pledges, sayings, & vocabulary terms.

Since injuries are something all of us in the martial arts have to deal with, how do you deal with them, especially keeping your motivation & fighting "the blues"? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Oss,
Gin-Gin http://www.kenpotalk.com/forum/images/smilies/fun/smileJap.gif

[Lisa]

Gin,

I apologise if I read it wrong, but does this also mean you are not working and can't walk as well. Are you able to still get around?

If so, what about going in and watching some classes to keep yourself in contact with the other students and instructors of your school. They would probably welcome seeing you and a person can raise their feet and ice them almost anywhere if need be. This would, at least, get you out of the house and back in the school and away from the TV. Most of all you won't be alone.

The depression that comes with any injury is hard to fight. What about doing some reading on your art or another art. Do you do written tests for your belts? You mention a stripe coming up, is there a way to prepare at home for this? Does something written need to be prepared?

How about looking at different ways to exercise with feet elevated. Perhaps using weights for your arms may be an idea. Make sure you continue to stretch all your muscles so as not to lose any flexibility while injured. I find stretching and controlled breathing a great way to relieve stress and some meditation helps me with the blues as well.

Most of all, I wish you a speedy recovery. Do what the doctor says and soon you will be back in class and able to get around easier. Don't push yourself, it will just delay your recovery in the long run. ((HUGS)) to you.

:asian: Lisa

[Michael Billings]

Gin,

Do you do written tests for your belts? You mention a stripe coming up, is there a way to prepare at home for this? Does something written need to be prepared?

Lisa
A lot of great ideas Lisa ... but this one I find particularly attractive, Bah-ha-ha-ha-ha <he chortles, with a malicious gleam in his eye>.

-Michael

[Eternal Beginner]

Hello Gin Gin. I feel your pain...literally:). I myself am in the midst of recovery from an MCL sprain and haven't been able to train for a couple of weeks now, plus I am in a blasted brace that makes living in a two story house so much fun.

The first time I had a serious injury(three years ago) I dealt with the depression by keeping active. At that point I was only doing karate so I ran through kata in my head, read a lot of history and basically kept up with what the class was doing.

Now, I am super-afraid of losing my cardio (which is vital as there are many tournaments just around the corner) so I swim. As part of my physiotherapy I am also able to us a recumbant bike, now that I have most of my ROM back. I also am able to do all of my regular ab work and quite a few other things so I don't lose all of my conditioning.

It helps if you have a great coach as well. My BJJ coach has encouraged me to attend all classes to watch the techniques he is showing as well as sits with me during the free roll and points out what some of the guys are doing, their options and their mistakes. Has given me a whole new perspective. My karate sensei's still let me come to class and help new people out with their kata with a lower ranked belt to do the demo while I clean up their technique.

The most important thing is to keep a positive attitude. It sounds like your injuries, though painful, are not overly serious and you will be able to resume full activity in a relatively short space of time. Take this time to heal up your body, get your mental state back to fighting fit and be totally prepared to get back into training and enjoying it as much as you ever have.

Sometimes a break is actually a gift...even if at first it isn't welcome. You can't always see the forest for the trees and when you are forced to sit out a while you appreciate more what you want to accomplish and reasses your goals and priorities.

Good luck, heal well.:)

[TigerWoman]

Hi Lisa, it sounds like Mr. Billings has a plan for you... Keep studying. My husband has gone through so many sprains that you do have to keep those feet up until the swelling stops and then go easy. Yeah later, go in to class and maybe you can help in some way. When I couldn't even stand on my leg thats what I would do just to keep in touch. Sigh! Such an addiction we have! Just remember this is temporary!! TW

[Lisa]

Hi Lisa, it sounds like Mr. Billings has a plan for you... Keep studying. My husband has gone through so many sprains that you do have to keep those feet up until the swelling stops and then go easy. Yeah later, go in to class and maybe you can help in some way. When I couldn't even stand on my leg thats what I would do just to keep in touch. Sigh! Such an addiction we have! Just remember this is temporary!! TW

Gulp! :erg: I certainly hope not! LOL!

Me thinks you may have misunderstood... I do believe he was referring to Gin-Gin ;)

[Gin-Gin]

Hi Lisa,

Thanks for your nice post - lots of good ideas.

Walking was difficult, especially for the first week or so; used a cane until a few days ago (thankfully the swelling in my right foot has gone down enough for me to wear flat shoes, so I'm not using it anymore). Since I live alone, I have to be on my feet sometimes anyway (doing laundry, dishes, etc) but I try to stay off them as much as possible. Work is a desk job (mostly data entry), so I turn over the wastebasket & prop my feet up on it; we have an ice machine on every floor, so I take 2 small ziploc bags & fill them with ice & put one on each foot. Although I do have a lot of vacation & sick time that I could use, the thought of being cooped up in my one- bedroom apartment for a number of weeks would drive me crazy, so I prefer to go to work; at least there I feel like I'm accomplishing something, & it gets me out of the house. Also went to a friend's place last night for dinner & watched a DVD, which was a nice change of scenery.

Yes, there are many books on Kenpo--I've read almost all of them, but it's always a good idea to go back & review stuff. Someone also suggested a stretch I could do with my feet in the air, so I'll try that. We have a couple of sets (finger & striking) that I can practice sitting down, am doing those as well. No written tests - mainly executing the techniques & forms that my instructor tells me, & answering questions. Was going to stop by the school this week to pay my dues--might stay to watch class. Good idea about the stretching, I'll do as many of the streches that we do in class (without aggravating the injuries) as I can.

Fuzzy also suggested breathing exercises - am doing that to help me sleep, & it seems to be working. I don't have any formal training in meditation, but will search online to see what I can find.

Thanks for the well wishes & support,
Gin-Gin :)

[Gin-Gin]

A lot of great ideas Lisa ... but this one I find particularly attractive, Bah-ha-ha-ha-ha <he chortles, with a malicious gleam in his eye>.

-MichaelUh-ohh... :uhohh: Ok, nobody give him any more ideas about tests! :rofl:

Thanks for the support; it may be the best medicine of all.

[Lisa]

Gin,

I don't have any formal meditation training either. To get some help, I started a thread (http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23113) on it a while back. There are some good tips for beginners and some references to some books that perhaps you could buy for yourself now that you may have some extra time to read :)

Lisa

p.s. sorry about giving Mr. Billings the ideas, lol ;)

[Kacey]

I understand completely, and commiserate - I injured my right knee at my last testing (for IV Dan), and, of course, had to finish the testing (luckily, there wasn't TOO much left)... but as my instructor kept telling me, I had 5 years to heal! His wife, who is a nurse practitioner, told me she'd heard the pop from 30 feet away, and thought I might have torn something.

I tested on a Saturday, and it wasn't bad enough (I thought) to go to the emergency room (insurance is great, but not that great - regular office visit is $25, but ER is $150) so I had to wait until they opened on Monday; by then, I couldn't convince the nurse it was an emergency, so I didn't get in until Tuesday afternoon. My doctor diagnosed something I couldn't remember in medical terms, but wanted me to see a specialist in case she was wrong; in the meantime, she told me to stop icing it and start heat (once it's already swollen, heat helps the excess blood and fluid in the swelling to dissipate - but if your doctor told you something else, please ignore this), and do whatever the specialist said.

The specialist asked if it always made that popping noise when I bent it - always an encouraging question! - and then said the x-rays were inconclusive and he wanted me to get an MRI; he thought it was torn cartilage, and I should keep it as immobile as possible; on his advice, I bought a brace. So off I went to make an appointment for an MRI (in the meantime, I work in a 2-story building, and don't have an elevator key - the upstairs of the school wasn't seeing me much). The MRI, of course, took over a week to set up, and then I had to get another appointment with the specialist... by the time he saw me again, it had been 3 weeks since the original injury. He looked over the MRI, said I had mild arthritis (big shock after 18 years of TKD) and then used the same medical terms to describe my injury my regular docto had used... which, it turned out, meant "sprained knee", and that I could go to physical therapy if I wanted, or try to rehab it on my own through specific exercises... I chose the exercises. It turns out the exercises were the same stretches I'd been avoiding on the specialist's advice to keep it immobile... so after nearly 3 weeks not only was it still sprained, it was stiff, too!

It seems to have healed (mostly), but the knee brace I use when it starts to ache again (usually from overuse) may be with me forever.

While I was having problems walking (never mind anything else), I did a lot of stretching (once I knew I could) and started working on range of motion when I could. For the winter, I keep my bicycle on a stand in the basement; I started using it, on a very low gear (lower resistance) and worked my way back up through the gearing. I also spent a fair amount of time going through my reference texts and taking notes in my requirements book of things I wanted to work on when I got that far again... and my students got really good at leading their own warmups; it's hard to lead stretching when you can't put any weight on one leg while it's bent!

Good luck with your recovery; take it slow and make sure you don't restress it before it's fully healed, or it will get injured again, and take even longer.

[Gin-Gin]

Gin,

I don't have any formal meditation training either. To get some help, I started a thread (http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23113) on it a while back. There are some good tips for beginners and some references to some books that perhaps you could buy for yourself now that you may have some extra time to read :)

Lisa
p.s. sorry about giving Mr. Billings the ideas, lol ;)Great--I'll take a look. Don't worry about giving Mr. B the ideas--I'll live. ;)

Thanks for the support everyone; Kacey & Eternal Beginner, I hope both of your injuries heal soon - nice to have someone to commiserate with. :)

[MJS]

Oss, Everyone! (salute) http://www.kenpotalk.com/forum/images/smilies/fun/smileJap.gif

As some of you may have noticed, I've been away from MT for a while. This was for a couple of reasons: First, I originally wanted a break to spend a little more time with friends/family & try to develop something of a social life outside of martial arts; Second, I got injured over the holidays & have been feeling depressed & a little anti-social.

I have a sprained left foot & ankle, and my right foot has a contusion (sp?) on it which, if I understood the doctor correctly, is a blood clot--a bruise on top an another bruise, or something like that. I have to keep both feet elevated, use ice packs & take ibuprofen until they heal, which will be in a few weeks (exactly how many the doctor couldn't say).

I miss training so much--in addition to it being my workout & stress reliever, I miss the school, my instructors, & my fellow classmates. It's frustrating, because I'd been getting ready to test for stripe when it happened, & I know that I'm gaining weight every day that I don't work out. http://www.kenpotalk.com/forum/images/smilies/frown.gif (I can do stomach crunches on my back with my feet in the air, so I guess that's better than nothing.) I'm watching a lot of TV, catching up on threads on MT & KT, & occasionally looking at my belt chart to review the pledges, sayings, & vocabulary terms.

Since injuries are something all of us in the martial arts have to deal with, how do you deal with them, especially keeping your motivation & fighting "the blues"? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Oss,
Gin-Gin http://www.kenpotalk.com/forum/images/smilies/fun/smileJap.gif

Wishing you a speedy recovery!:)

Rest up and you'll be back on the mats before you know it!

Mike

[kenpo0324]

Wishing you a speedy recovery!:asian:
Rest up and you'll be back on the mats before you know it!

[Jonathan Randall]

I hope you heal quickly!

Are there any DVD's of AK techniques you could view? Would your instructor allow you to videotape him running through basic techniques? You may catch nuances in basic techniques that you missed in training. Also, how about starting a reading list? Have your read "Strong on Defense", "The Gift of Fear", "Zen in the Martial Arts", etc? If not, now might be a good time to do so.

As others have mentioned - sometimes breaks (providing there is no long term injury) can often be blessings in disguise. Often we restart at a much higher level than we left and find that we have a new and greater perspective that pulled us out of a rut that we did not know we were in.

Get better soon! :)

[Gin-Gin]

Thanks for the suggestions & support, everyone. They do help--more than I can say. http://www.kenpotalk.com/forum/images/smilies/fun/smileJap.gif Jonathan, there aren't any DVDs of my instructor that I know of, but I'm going to stop by class & watch; I'm sure I'll notice something that I didn't see before. Haven't read the Gift of Fear or the others, but I'll look for them.

Update: The foot with the contusion is itching, which I hope means it's healing. The left one is hurting a little less; I can now walk on them for a few minutes before they get sore & I have to prop them up--so they're getting better! http://www.kenpotalk.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif

[Shirt Ripper]

Only read the initial post and your (Gin-Gin) last one.

Replace you bodies training time (though still find something you can do) with your mind's training time. If you will be having a testing period shortly after your recovery this a great time to take care of non-physical aspects of it.
...or to read/study on other topics if you'd like. I am a big proponent of strength sports/fitness/athletics and I find that when I am reading a lot consistently the rest of my training is more focused and effective. The mind and body work best together. This will also help you keep your sanity during the "down time."

As I've said before, hot chocolate helps everything.

[Gin-Gin]

Replace you bodies training time (though still find something you can do) with your mind's training time. If you will be having a testing period shortly after your recovery this a great time to take care of non-physical aspects of it....The mind and body work best together. This will also help you keep your sanity during the "down time." As I've said before, hot chocolate helps everything.Thanks, ShirtRipper. And yes, you're also right about hot chocolate. :D

Went by the dojo last night to pay my membership dues (gotta keep the doors open) & watched class. It felt good just to be there & watch for awhile...

[shesulsa]

Gin, you've already gotten great advice. When I was in my final two months of pregnancy with my youngest and when I hurt my back (twice), I would go to watch training every time I could. It's still hard to not get onto the floor, but you can shift your brain into mental training mode and use your imagination productively. If you visualize doing everything perfectly, you will automatically improve yourself even when you're not moving around a lot. You can move your arms and hands, so you might run through your forms and techniques from the waist up only (good training for sit-down techniques later on), do some research, catch up on reading (can we ever do that?), etcetera. Don't think of yourself as not training - think of yourself as training differently for now.

We're here for ya, babe.

[Gin-Gin]

Gin, you've already gotten great advice. When I was in my final two months of pregnancy with my youngest and when I hurt my back (twice), I would go to watch training every time I could. It's still hard to not get onto the floor, but you can shift your brain into mental training mode and use your imagination productively. If you visualize doing everything perfectly, you will automatically improve yourself even when you're not moving around a lot. You can move your arms and hands, so you might run through your forms and techniques from the waist up only (good training for sit-down techniques later on), do some research, catch up on reading (can we ever do that?), etcetera. Don't think of yourself as not training - think of yourself as training differently for now. We're here for ya, babe.Thanks, SheSulsa! *walks over & hugs SS*

Seriously, I can't thank all of you enough--because I live alone, it's easy to feel sorry for myself & slip into "the blues." The few close friends I have are busy with work & their own lives & most of my family lives out of town &/or has health problems & are in worse shape than me. I know this is a temporary thing, but it's places like this that not only have interesting threads to discuss, but a place for a friendly voice to say, "Yeah, I've been there" when you need one.

:asian:

[Eternal Beginner]

Thanks, SheSulsa! *walks over & hugs SS*

Seriously, I can't thank all of you enough--because I live alone, it's easy to feel sorry for myself & slip into "the blues." The few close friends I have are busy with work & their own lives & most of my family lives out of town &/or has health problems & are in worse shape than me. I know this is a temporary thing, but it's places like this that not only have interesting threads to discuss, but a place for a friendly voice to say, "Yeah, I've been there" when you need one.

:asian:

I think a place like MT is a good place to talk about these things because even if your family/friends are sympathetic to your injury they don't appreciate the loss you feel not being able to practice martial arts, even if for just a short while.

I hope you are healing well, taking some of the great advice and also maybe spoiling yourself with some of the free time that has been found since you can't always make it to training. You know, watching a favorite movie, giving yourself a nice facial...generally indulging in things you sometimes put off. I know I have been baking a lot more than usual and doing a lot of internet searches planning our trip to Brazil. Sometimes good things can come out of bad stuff!:)

[Kenpo_man]

As others have mentioned - sometimes breaks (providing there is no long term injury) can often be blessings in disguise. Often we restart at a much higher level than we left and find that we have a new and greater perspective that pulled us out of a rut that we did not know we were in.

I have hurt my neck two years in a row about the same time both years (right before christmas). The injuries were so bad that I needed help putting socks on the first two days until some of the pain subsided. The first time I got very depressed as I am a bit of a freak about training. You start to feel like it's never going to end and it can get under your skin as I'm sure you have noticed. The second time it happened I knew it was going to end and I just needed to ride it out. I took the opportunity to let myself relax and I realized just how hectic I could be when I was always on the go. It gave me the chance to "empty my cup" as the Taoists say. When you never stop going, you have no chance to reflect on all the stuff you have done (your cup overflows). I suggest you use the down time to just relax. Don't be in a big hurry to get back to training. You'll spend so much time thinking about getting back you'll miss the chance to just chill out for a while, and lets face it, you should be allowed considering you are injured and in pain. It's healthy and you deserve it.

When you do go back, be careful for a while. If you are anything like me you'll want to jump in where you left off. This is the fast road to re-injuring yourself. Any pain you feel is a warning so do not ignore it. I did (trying to be tough) and I made what sould have been a three week recovery into a three month recovery (the first time only, I'm thick sometimes but not that thick). Listen to your body; it's quite smart and will let you know when to slow down. It is up to you to pay attention and trust it.

I hope you get beeter soon.

[karatekid1975]

Gin Gin, I'm a little late on this one, but you seem to have gotten great advice already. But I feel your pain .....

I had a knee injury (2002), back injury (2003), hip injury (2004), and I just recovered from surgery (unrelated to MA). Like you, I didn't stay away from the dojang. I modified my training for the first three. But I couldn't train for 3 weeks after surgery (and I still can't spar yet), but I visited the dojang, watched class, and helped out when I felt comfortable. It drove me NUTS to sit there and watch my class while I wasn't in class. I give you credit for that.

But I did a lot of mental training, as mentioned already. That helped a lot.

I hope you get back to training soon. It felt great when I did. Now I just can't wait to spar (my next hurdle ;) ).

[Lisa]

Thanks, SheSulsa! *walks over & hugs SS*

Seriously, I can't thank all of you enough--because I live alone, it's easy to feel sorry for myself & slip into "the blues." The few close friends I have are busy with work & their own lives & most of my family lives out of town &/or has health problems & are in worse shape than me. I know this is a temporary thing, but it's places like this that not only have interesting threads to discuss, but a place for a friendly voice to say, "Yeah, I've been there" when you need one.

:asian:

Gin, You ALWAYS will have our support here on MT. I know I sometimes come here to unwind and find some support when down. I am glad you went to class and watched. If your instructor doesn't have a problem with it, I would go more often. Sometimes watching a class can give you a whole new perspective on techniques and then you can always practice them mentally until you heal, that way you will be that much further ahead when you return. :) Also, can you not sit and practice the upper body techniques either at home or during a class you are sitting in on? That way you are still practicing and at the same time mentally doing the lower body part of the techs. Just a suggestion. Hope it helps. :)

[bluemtn]

I recently injured my left knee, and while I couldn't really do much in class, I was able to go and stretch. Tiger Balm is good for the soreness, too.

[Gin-Gin]

I think a place like MT is a good place to talk about these things because even if your family/friends are sympathetic to your injury they don't appreciate the loss you feel not being able to practice martial arts, even if for just a short while.So true.

Thanks EB, Lisa (love your new avatar LOL!), Laurie, Kenpo_man, tkdgirl (& anyone else I might have missed). :) A quick update: everything seems to be healing ok (just taking time); I bought myself some flowers & took a care package to a friend who is in bed from major back surgery, which made me feel good too--I'm grateful that I'm not bedridden...whew! Sorry I haven't been online much lately, have been trying to catch up on cleaning my apartment so it doesn't look like such a pig sty; vacuuming for a few minutes one day, doing the dishes the next, folding laundry, etc. & keeping off my feet in between tasks as much as I can. Visualization, leg lifts & stretching help a lot...plus, my instructor asked me to come in & help with the kids class one night last week. I really enjoyed that; not only was it good to be in the dojo again, but it was a challenge because I couldn't do the stances so I had to describe them verbally in as much detail as possible as well as use one of the kids as a model to show the correct foot position (hope I did ok, Mr. B). http://www.kenpotalk.com/forum/images/smilies/fun/smileJap.gif So I'm still being challenged & learning new things even though I can't physically practice all of my own material yet--hmmm, funny how that works...http://www.kenpotalk.com/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

Hope everyone else out there with injuries is "hanging in there" & taking care of themselves too.
Gin-Gin :)

P.S. - A woman at work has started teaching a free Yoga class for beginners during the Lunch hour & I went to my first class today. I've never taken Yoga before, & I told her that I was injured but she reassured me that I could just do the postures that didn't aggravate my foot & ankle. I feel great, & to be honest, it was more difficult than I thought it would be. A lot of time was spent on breathing & relaxation (which I'm still trying to learn in Kenpo http://www.kenpotalk.com/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif). Good stuff!

[Eternal Beginner]

Sounds like you are doing the most important thing after being injured - taking care of yourself and not dwelling on it.

Keeping busy, as you obviously have been, is a great idea. I'm glad to see you are so upbeat and even looking at new things (yoga) while you heal.

All the best and keep your chin up!!:)

[karatekid1975]

Gin-Gin, that's good news :) I'm glad your feeling a little better. You sound more upbeat. Good for you :)

I tweaked my bad knee at work today ... gggrrr. I don't think it's bad, but a little sore. Walking doesn't hurt, just turning does ... that can be a problem with kicking techs :(

[IcemanSK]

Gin:

I'm glad you're feelin' better, too. I'm glad you've been around to encourage us here on MT when you're not trainin. Its a great way to stay connected to MA. I'm the type of person that can get apathetic during training. Injury snaps me out of it immediately (Read: I get hurt & can't train is when I want to the most.)

Whether you are able to train or not, you can still study & be an asset to other students in your school. My late kickboxing trainer suffered from a brain tumor which over 5 years & 4 surgeries took him from an incredible athlete to a man that could barely walk. I tell you that to tell you that he still taught lead daily & trained world class fighters...with his voice. There's still much you can do when you can't train. But I echo your frustration when ya can't.

[Gin-Gin]

I'm glad to see you are so upbeat and even looking at new things (yoga) while you heal.Yes, it was quite a reality check--I found out that I'm not as flexible as I thought I was, & that Yoga is not as easy as it looks. Luckily most of the poses we did were done in either a sitting position or on my knees (which is away from the injured areas).
Gin: I'm glad you're feelin' better, too. I'm glad you've been around to encourage us here on MT when you're not trainin. Its a great way to stay connected to MA. I'm the type of person that can get apathetic during training. Injury snaps me out of it immediately (Read: I get hurt & can't train is when I want to the most.)

Whether you are able to train or not, you can still study & be an asset to other students in your school. My late kickboxing trainer suffered from a brain tumor which over 5 years & 4 surgeries took him from an incredible athlete to a man that could barely walk. I tell you that to tell you that he still taught lead daily & trained world class fighters...with his voice. There's still much you can do when you can't train. But I echo your frustration when ya can't.Thanks, Iceman--your late trainer sounds like he was quite a guy. I appreciate the support, & I like your signature quote. :asian:

Laurie & tkdgirl, hope your knees are doing better...

[KenpoTess]

I'm glad you're doing better physically and Emotionally Jynne~!! Great that MB is having you teach the kids~! :D
I can tell you from experience that injury of any kind does put the damper on your spirit. I'm constantly fighting with problems that crop up since my car accident..and it just gets worse .. but I persevere.. I just don't do what everyone else does and that's one thing I love about Kenpo.. the Tailoring aspect. I have a torn rotator cuff so there's no way I can use that shoulder.. so no left sided tecs for me.. and No obscure elbows .. you know what I'm saying :)
You do what you can.. and Don't do what you hurts you.. Keep up the Great Spirit Jynne~!!

*Big Hugs*

~Tess

[bluemtn]

Thanks, Gin- Gin. My knee doesn't hurt like it used to, but I'm still nervous when it comes to certain kicks/ jumps. Someone told me it'll take a few more weeks before it's 100% better. I'm not exactly the most patient person when it comes to getting better, but I'm working on it. My instructor fusses at me if I'm even close to doing something wrong. That helps me to remember that I still have an injury. I'm glad you are doing better, it just takes a while, and I'm also glad you found something else to get into.

[Gin-Gin]

I'm glad you're doing better physically and Emotionally Jynne~!! Great that MB is having you teach the kids~! :D
I can tell you from experience that injury of any kind does put the damper on your spirit. I'm constantly fighting with problems that crop up since my car accident..and it just gets worse .. but I persevere.. I just don't do what everyone else does and that's one thing I love about Kenpo.. the Tailoring aspect. I have a torn rotator cuff so there's no way I can use that shoulder.. so no left sided tecs for me.. and No obscure elbows .. you know what I'm saying :)
You do what you can.. and Don't do what you hurts you.. Keep up the Great Spirit Jynne~!!

*Big Hugs*

~TessThanks, Tess--Big Hugs back at ya! :)

[Gin-Gin]

Hi Everyone :wavey:

A quick update: After going through some blues this month (from a combination of nasty weather & dealing with work & family stressors) I started physical therapy last Thursday (will go twice a week for 3 weeks then get re-evaluated). My foot & ankle seem to be responding well to it, which makes me feel better because it means that I'm a little closer to getting back to my regular training...there's "light at the end of the tunnel."

Hope everyone is doing well, especially my fellow injured MAers. This experience is teaching me a number of things, a couple of which are: 1) Don't take going to class for granted, & 2) When it gets tough, take it one day at a time...

[Jonathan Randall]

Hi Everyone :wavey:

A quick update: After going through some blues this month (from a combination of nasty weather & dealing with work & family stressors) I started physical therapy last Thursday (will go twice a week for 3 weeks then get re-evaluated). My foot & ankle seem to be responding well to it, which makes me feel better because it means that I'm a little closer to getting back to my regular training...there's "light at the end of the tunnel."

Hope everyone is doing well, especially my fellow injured MAers. This experience is teaching me a number of things, a couple of which are: 1) Don't take going to class for granted, & 2) When it gets tough, take it one day at a time...

Get better soon!

I know what you're going through because I had tendonitis once so bad that I had to stop drawing and painting for months. Really sucked! Fortunately I was able to spend the time studying art history and theory.

[Lisa]

Hey Gin! :wavey:

(((BIG HUGS))) for you sweetie. I hope your re-evaluation in three weeks goes well and I wish I could somehow help with your injury blues. I am sending good thoughts your way. Don't push yourself too hard too fast, let the injury heal well so that you can get back to class as soon as possible.

Lots of love,
Lisa

[jbclinic]

there's a lot of potions, etc. for injuries, but the best one is rest and light therapy until that bodt part can resume the stress in which one puts upon oneself

[Gin-Gin]

Good News--I was reexamined by my physical therapist last Tuesday & was cleared to go back to class (finally)! YIPPEE!! http://www.kenpotalk.com/forum/images/smilies/fun/party43.gif http://www.kenpotalk.com/forum/images/smilies/fun/biggrinbounce.gif

Went back to class on Thursday night; I was huffing & puffing & will have to wear ankle braces on both ankles for a while, but that's ok. The muscle memory was still there & I know that my endurance will come back in time. It felt so good to be back on the mat & practicing basics & techniques with everyone again. http://www.kenpotalk.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif

Thanks again for the support; for those of you who are still nursing injuries out there, please feel free to stop by & let us know how you're doing.

Oss,
Gin-Gin http://www.kenpotalk.com/forum/images/smilies/fun/smileJap.gif

[Lisa]

Good News--I was reexamined by my physical therapist last Tuesday & was cleared to go back to class (finally)! YIPPEE!! http://www.kenpotalk.com/forum/images/smilies/fun/party43.gif http://www.kenpotalk.com/forum/images/smilies/fun/biggrinbounce.gif

Went back to class on Thursday night; I was huffing & puffing & will have to wear ankle braces on both ankles for a while, but that's ok. The muscle memory was still there & I know that my endurance will come back in time. It felt so good to be back on the mat & practicing basics & techniques with everyone again. http://www.kenpotalk.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif

Thanks again for the support; for those of you who are still nursing injuries out there, please feel free to stop by & let us know how you're doing.

Oss,
Gin-Gin http://www.kenpotalk.com/forum/images/smilies/fun/smileJap.gif


THAT SO TOTALLY ROCKS GIN!!!!

WHOOHOO!!

:-partyon::-partyon:

[shesulsa]

YAY GIN-GIN!!
:-partyon::-partyon:

[IcemanSK]

Great news Gin!:-partyon:

[Gemini]

Good News, Gin! Just be careful and take your time getting back into it. Don't sweat the ankle braces. I wear 'em every class to keep from having a reoccurance. It's a much smaller price to pay than being sidelined. :)

[TigerWoman]

Happy practicing. I wear knee braces every time too. One of the women also has bad ankles and she doesn't risk it either and wears braces. Once you have been injured there, it is easy to get it re-injured. Keep doing those weight exercises etc. for your ankle too to keep it in shape or even strengthen it further. Glad you are back! TW

[Kacey]

WAY COOL!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!:-partyon:

And having been there, I agree - wear the braces. Reinjuries are often a lot worse than the original injury, and harder to come back from.

[Ceicei]

With a wrist brace and instruction from the doctor not to do any hard contact or wrist movements until after my 2nd surgery next month, I am facing the injury blues. Right now, my instructor has been out of town lately, so I haven't had any training recently (probably just as well, since I do need to recover from the 1st surgery). I am able to do katas (forms) and come watch classes. I do practice on my own.

Nevertheless, I am feeling very depressed. It is hard to motivate myself and that is spilling over into other parts of my life.

<<sigh>>

- Ceicei

[Eternal Beginner]

With a wrist brace and instruction from the doctor not to do any hard contact or wrist movements until after my 2nd surgery next month, I am facing the injury blues. Right now, my instructor has been out of town lately, so I haven't had any training recently (probably just as well, since I do need to recover from the 1st surgery). I am able to do katas (forms) and come watch classes. I do practice on my own.

Nevertheless, I am feeling very depressed. It is hard to motivate myself and that is spilling over into other parts of my life.

<<sigh>>

- Ceicei
I feel for you! I am also in a cast with a fractured wrist and cartilage damage and am getting quite frustrated that I can only do 'technique' and not roll properly.

All I can say is, hang in there...time will heal you and then full steam ahead!!:)

[IcemanSK]

With a wrist brace and instruction from the doctor not to do any hard contact or wrist movements until after my 2nd surgery next month, I am facing the injury blues. Right now, my instructor has been out of town lately, so I haven't had any training recently (probably just as well, since I do need to recover from the 1st surgery). I am able to do katas (forms) and come watch classes. I do practice on my own.

Nevertheless, I am feeling very depressed. It is hard to motivate myself and that is spilling over into other parts of my life.

<<sigh>>

- Ceicei

Ceicei:

I once had a wrist injury during my boxing days (ironically, I hurt it while moving a couch:) ). I was able to focus on my running during that time. Perhaps that, or biking or walking will help get thru this "down time." I know there's easy solution. And I get really down when I can't train, too. But it might help keep ya moving while you're on the mend.

I'm in your corner.
IcemanSK

[SFC JeffJ]

Congrats!! Don't do what I would most likely do and push to hard as you start up again.

I really sympathize with you as I'm currently recovering from hip/pelvis surgery and if all goes well I'll be able to start training again around the end of september/begining of october. A lot of the advice on this thread has been really helpful to me as well.

Good luck on starting up again.

JeffJ

[Lisa]

With a wrist brace and instruction from the doctor not to do any hard contact or wrist movements until after my 2nd surgery next month, I am facing the injury blues. Right now, my instructor has been out of town lately, so I haven't had any training recently (probably just as well, since I do need to recover from the 1st surgery). I am able to do katas (forms) and come watch classes. I do practice on my own.

Nevertheless, I am feeling very depressed. It is hard to motivate myself and that is spilling over into other parts of my life.

<<sigh>>

- Ceicei

CeiCei,

Keep your chin up my friend, this too shall pass. Take Jeff's advice about not doing too much too fast. I have seen others do it and it just turns out bad. I have done it myself and it just prolonged my injury.

I wish I had a magic button to press to make you feel better but all I can do is offer my support via a few kind words. Take time to enjoy the summer with your kids, do things you have been meaning to and have never had the time and if it helps, keep a journal so you can see the progress you are making, especially after the next surgery.

Good luck and I wish you fast healing.

Lisa :asian:

[Slippery_Pete]

in October of 05 i sprained my ankle really bad...after spraining it again 6 times throughout the next year I finally went and had an MRI done...turns out I had completely avulsed one ligament (pulled the ligament off the bone and took a little of my fibula with it) stretched another ligament to where it did nothing and the third was fine...so one of the three ligaments holding my ankle together was still intact (no wonder my ankle was so unstable)...that October I had reconstructive surgery done and was in a cast for 2 months...throughout the healing process i still attended class and hobbled around helping people (you learn how to describe technique really well)...I am still super fearful of re-injuring my ankle and have a tendency to "baby" it...

being an athletic training student i took all the ice i could but it did nothing because there was nothing to heal...if your injury does not seem to improve have it checked out...preferably by a specialist (the ER i went to told me it was a first degree sprain and i should use crutches...a first degree sprain hurts for about a minute or two and you walk it off and no crutches are advised because the pain goes away and no real damage is done..to require crutches i had to have had at least a bad 2nd or 3rd degree sprain...i was not too impressed...i dont think she knew i had some medical training)

as far as treatment:
R - rest
I - ice
C - compression
E - elevate
stay off it as much as possible...ice with REAL WATER ICE...ice packs have been known to cause frostbite so if you have to use one make sure you have something between your skin and the pack...with true ice put it directly on your skin...20 minutes on 20 minutes off...to prevent further swelling use an ace wrap or similar device to compress the injury...do not pull it so tight that you lose feeling on the other side of the wrap as this stops blood flow to the injury site and you need that to heal...elevate above your heart with the least about of bends in the extremity (try not to bend your knee too much)

if you can stand it...try an ice bath (put ice and water in a bucket to where the ice doesnt melt in the water...put your foot in the bucket and keep it there for 20 minutes or however long you can stand it) it hurts really bad but it is very effective...try this once or twice a day

wear a brace everytime after a significant injury...wear it everytime! dont slack!...its not worth it trust me...make sure your brace has no metal or hard plastic for the sake of your training partners and it is not acceptable at competitions...make sure the brace has a heel lock incorporated into the design...i sugest the ASO ankle brace (http://www.asoanklebraces.com)

hope this was helpful