Training While Injured: My Current Training Regimen
Some might argue that pain is one of our best teachers. I agree! When you look at pain as information or feedback, you can use it to help inform your movement decisions. There’s just one issue: we don’t want to have to modify our activity levels because they hurt!
Insert my fluctuating existence of training without soreness to being very sore to not sore, but acutely feeling pain somewhere. The life of a capoeirista for sure (if you know, you know!). So frustrating! However, I might be able to provide perspective through my recovery strategies. Let’s go!
So here is what I’m dealing with:
Chronic right scapular pain. I definitely feel discomfort performing movements involving right thoracic rotation, not limited to kicks toward the right side and my queda de rins. This could be due to the fact that my floreios and history of childhood athletics involved rotating toward the left!
As intuitive as it may sound, my focus is on exercises promoting right rotation along with trying to make a conscious effort to throw kicks toward the right more often–which is not an option while actually playing capoeira!
Chronic right anterior knee pain. For about a year and a half, I’ve been bothered by pain just above my right patella, or kneecap. I’m not limited with my activities, though I notice pain with single leg knee bending as one would experience going down stairs or doing a esquiva de frente.
I’ve been decreasing my squat volume, which seems to help, but notice how I haven’t stopped completely! Squatting is more than just a leg exercise and I value its benefit on my whole body.
Random right big toe pain. This one is one of those, “what the fuck?” injuries. Out of nowhere, my right toe started hurting two weeks ago. I can still train, but every so often, I feel pain while walking.
I’m trying to perform more heel raises along with great toe extension strengthening as it mainly hurts when I fully extend it PASSIVELY–meaning, when my body rolls over my toe.
Pain is a dynamic, non-linear process. If you can roll with the punches, you’ll likely be mentally prepared to manage the ever-changing presentations of pain. Hopefully, this provided some valuable insight to you. See you soon!