Navigating Sports Injury Recovery During the Holiday Season

When we think of the fall and winter holidays, we think of family, food, get-togethers, and sports. Most of us don’t have to think about navigating a sports injury recovery around all the festivities. But for some people, it’s necessary to rethink their holiday goals because they’re trying to recover from a sports injury.

At Santa Cruz Osteopathic, physiatrist and physical medicine specialist Dr. Richard Bernstein offers rehabilitation services for many different kinds of injuries, using a holistic and hands-on approach. Here’s his advice for navigating your recovery during this holiday season.

What is recovery like after a sports injury?

Recovery after a sports injury varies, depending on the type of injury and its severity. Most are minor and heal in a few days or weeks with rest and simple recovery strategies such as over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers. Other injuries, such as broken bones and concussions, need medical intervention and can take several months to heal.

A lot has to do with psychology, too. An injury is a shock to the system; when it happens, it’s a grief process. We grieve the loss of our mobility. We grieve not being able to be active. We’re upset at having to take pain medicine and go to rehab. Basically, we feel a loss as our routine changes against our will.

Then our brains start trying to make sense of what we’ve been through. Why did it happen? Was there anything I could have done differently? It’s unproductive worrying, but we get kind of stuck.

And, if we're older than 30-35, it’s even more worrisome, since we start to wonder if it’s all downhill from here.

The good news is you can adapt and give yourself space to recover properly.

Changing the narrative to improve your recovery

When your thoughts are stress-based, anxious, and negative, your body responds neurologically, and your central nervous system steps in to release chemicals into your bloodstream to deal with the stress.

Adrenaline and cortisol are good for short-term stress, but if they stay around for a while, they increase inflammation in the injured areas, making recovery more difficult. So, how you approach your injury makes it easier or more difficult to heal.

Substantial research suggests that your mindset, attitude, and in-head narrative during your recovery impact its duration.

For example, a recent study shows people who had positive outlooks about their recovery and future had fewer repeat heart attacks, even if heart disease ran in their family.

Another study showed participants who had generalized anxiety disorder and practiced replacing negative thoughts with positive ones demonstrated significant improvement in their symptoms.

Shifting your energy from negative thoughts to things you can control can help with your recovery. Sure, maybe you can’t walk up the stairs without pain right now, but there’s nothing you can do about it at this moment. Instead, focus on breathing, stretching, and training to help your injury heal.

Another way to recover more quickly is to surround yourself with people you can lean on when necessary. A recent study suggests that those who don't have a strong social network are more likely to experience both chronic pain and depression 6-12 months after their injury than those with strong social connections.

Keep in mind that our bodies don’t heal immediately. It can take weeks or months to heal from many injuries, and takes longer as we age. Some reports suggest that a 45-year-old recovers 15%-18% slower than a 30-year-old with the same injury.

And if you’re injured, rest when you need to. Don’t give in to social pressure to be “productive,” or you’ll set your recovery back.

Recovery during the holidays

The holidays can be a madcap adventure, so the advice about resting when you need to takes on even more importance. “Productive” for you is not the same as for the no-injured.

Also set aside “you” time for things like doctors’ appointments and physical therapy. Make sure family and friends know this is nonnegotiable if you’re going to recover from your injury and is more important than setting up decorations or baking a cake.

Remember that many offices have different hours for the holidays, so make sure you have a friend or family member to help you with things you can’t manage on your own, or even if you just need someone to talk with.

Navigating sports injury recovery during the holiday season doesn’t need to be a grind if you plan it right, and Santa Cruz Osteopathic can help you rehabilitate your injury safely. Call us at 831-464-1605, or book online today.