Thoughts On Injury Management

I recently caught up with my parents for dinner and my 61 year old mother was telling me about her new shoulder injury. She was telling me how the pain keeps her up some nights and how it stops her performing the exercises she used to do. She is fit and healthy for someone even younger than she is, and would do some kind of training every other day, usually in the form of yoga, kayaking, jogging or some kind of bodyweight resistance exercises. 

Ma

"My shoulders are so sore at the moment, My physio says its because of how i was doing my pushups. Now i can't do any of my usual exercises because it hurts too much."

 Pa

"Don't be so dramatic, you've just never had to deal with injuries before. You haven't learnt how to live with them."

Ma

"Thats ridiculous, why should i have to deal with injuries? I shouldn't have to put up with pain." 

 Pa

"Its part of life darling, its something I've dealt with for as long as i can remember."

Me

"I reckon both you guys are right!"

Dad has been a worker all of his life. 63 years old and has been digging, cutting, carrying and lifting for most of those years. Mum has too (they have for many years, and still do work alongside each other every day) - though dad has been the number one workhorse, and has always prided himself on being able to 'get the job done'.

Bad knees, busted hands, hernias, chronic back problems, feet spurs, and migraines - to name a few of Dad's ailments that i can recall. Thats a heavy list right?!

This eludes us to the fact that anyone who uses their body as a tool day-in and day-out, will have to deal with injuries at some point. Our bodies do their best to adapt to what we dish out to them, however they are not perfect and leading an active lifestyle can certainly problems. The mind also adapts - our perception* of how severe or debilitating those injuries really are. 

In the case of my father - injury and aches and pains are a part of life, and cannot be avoided, so whats the point in complaining? Kind of 'the job still needs to get done, whether I'm sore or not' mentality. If they're not too severe, whats the point in even treating them? His rationalisation for not having a knee replacement:

"they say they only last you about 10 years or so. Im going to be around for at least another 20 years, so whats the point in having it done multiple times? - ill just wait until I've got about 10 years left and get one then"

For Mum - injury and pain occur and living with them is undesirable and best avoided, so therefore should be fixed straight away. Whats the point in living with them? Hence her response to dads initial comments on her sore shoulders:

"You're an idiot, thats a stupid thing to say - you only live with your injuries because you're too lazy to do anything about them." (said with utmost affection)

The problem is knowing when to seek treatment for an injury, and when to let it run its course. I can honestly say that i have never felt completely free of injury. I regularly see a bunch of osteopaths, physiotherapists and whatnot for treatment and often take days off from training to let an injury recover. I totally support seeing these guys where possible, as i don't know exactly what is wrong and continuing to train or work could put me in a deeper hole than the one i was already in.

Put some ice on it and rest up for the night, or get to the doctor and see whats wrong? You have to make that call. I just think its important to see both sides of the situation before choosing your path.

After asking one of my good team-mates why he wasn't sparring this particular evening:

"Man my back is killing me! I haven't been able to train properly, and i just don't have the time to see someone at the moment. Plus we just bought our second house so I'm paying two mortgages now, and the kids are all over the place. I just can't afford it at the moment."

Whats the point in having the mortgage, paying for the training and raising the kids, if you're not physically able to enjoy any of it?

* when discussing the idea of pain perception, it is important to note that many studies support the fact that women have a much higher pain threshold than men. Something to do with giving birth i believe...