Hey Bicycling Friends!
Thank you all so much for sending me your questions and curiosities! Keep sending them in. While I am unable to respond to all, we are taking notes on what you all want to see. This week we talk about coming back from an injury and how to set yourself up for a successful recovery.
While the reality is we don't want anyone to have an injury in life, whether it's related to bikes or not, they happen. Injuries can come in the form of many different circumstances that can change how we live or participate in some of life’s exciting activities. In this episode we are going to dive into how to approach injuries, some of the steps towards understanding what you individually might need to recover and how I’ve broken down in the past rehabbing myself 2 or 3 times over.
If you have a personal experiences you'd like to share... send us a message at [email protected]
Everyone is different, we approach life from different angles. Injuries can happen the same way in a variety of different forms and at the most unsuspecting times. The truth is it sucks, especially as we get older. We don’t want to be held back by our own limitations, and the line that we must all draw in the sand is that we accept a certain level of responsibility for our own actions. I want to be very clear: under no circumstances do I believe any cyclist should be at fault for being the victim of an interaction with a car or any motorized vehicle for that matter.
With that acknowledged and clear, acceptance is the first step toward the circumstances that lead you or me to the present moment. You’re Hurt! Yes, shit happens! You scrub a turn too shallow, the line you picked was way off, someone in front of you goes down. The number of crazy things we've all seen never ceases to amaze this sport or lifestyle. Accepting that there is no risk without reward or that cycling is inherently dangerous is a reality.
The second and third step are interchangeable but critical towards making a recovery. Understanding what happened, evaluating the scenario, and reflecting on your strengths and weaknesses. There's a lot to break down there and by no means am I recommending you take on this endeavor alone.
The third step, find support! Support comes in many different forms, the most important I would recommend to focus on when approaching injury is to seek physical, emotional and mental support. I like to look at them as three pretty important pillars to anyone's life. Your physical, emotional and mental well being can be challenged during injuries.
Doing the second and third step should not be overlooked before getting to the last step. In understanding, evaluating and reflecting on yourself mentally, doing so with support of a therapist in the forms of mental health exercises can address any insecurities or fears. A great example of emotionally evaluating yourself is the toll and hurt you’ve gone through. This can and should be counteracted by doing something fun that brings you joy outside of the bike, like spending time making new memories with friends and family. While interchangeable at times, how you feel can affect how you think and vice versa. Surround yourself with the right people.
Physically recognizing and speaking with a health care provider to understand and take time to adapt to your new physical reality is crucial. Time is a very important underpinning through this whole process. This is going to take time, it’s not going to be easy or happen overnight. Before you even start to physically exercise, getting cleared is a process, just because you're cleared doesn't mean you're ready to go from zero to a hundred. You will most likely have to do physical therapy to develop and retrain your muscle to a place before muscular atrophy was a thing.
The last overarching step to the road to recovery once you have steps two and three in place, is to make a comeback plan beyond being cleared to go take off into the sunset. Look into signing up for a manageable event that you know you can enjoy! This will help the other parts of setting up consistent rides, eating well and working out regularly more enjoyable as you have an exciting opportunity to experience new things ahead.
If you have any extra tips, tricks or want to share how you got through an injury and recovered, please send us a message or drop a comment below! You never know how you might help someone going through what you already did.
Until next week folks, ride with your friends, eat some snacks and keep sending in your question about what you wanna learn! [email protected]
Gabe
