Seven Stages of Grief - With Your Injury We have all experienced the frustration of injury. It's not just that you are in pain, it's that you can't do what you love - going for a run, picking up your children or grandchildren, or heading for the gym. Not being able to participate in these activities, or to get the joy from them that you usually do, can have more of an impact than the pain itself does. This frustration can be a major factor in recovering from an injury. It can be a hindrance to you, or it can be used as a motivator to work even harder on your rehab. Most importantly, we all need to acknowledge that the mental impact is a factor, and take control of how it will affect you. Having been aware of these factors in my own injury history as well as in the patients I work with, I was encouraged to recently see an article reinforcing these ideas. Here are some excerpts that might help you reflect on your own injuries. "Some experts have indicated that the emotional process of dealing with a running injury can be compared in some measure to the seven stages of grief that individuals typically experience following a major loss. ... While a running injury is of course not as devastating as the loss of a loved one, it is still an occurrence that can have a major negative impact on an individual's psyche and can even lead to a state of depression. How a runner moves through each stage of grief following an injury may have an impact on how quickly they are ready to resume their beloved activity."  1- Shock 2 - Denial "When your heart and your mind are set on a goal," explains Luke Bongiorno, director of physical therapy at NY Sports Med, "it's easy to want to deny that you have an injury that may sideline you for awhile. But it is much better to do what you have to now to let your body heal rather than to ignore your injury and set yourself up for a potentially more severe injury with a more prolonged recovery later." 3 - Anger 4 - Bargaining I've been there with a few of you reading this newsletter, right? Everyone wants to be able to do just a little more, a little sooner, than they probably should for their optimal recovery. It's hard to hang in there and give the body time to heal... 5 - Guilt "It's so easy to be a Monday morning quarterback and look back at all the things you should have done differently to potentially avoid getting injured in the first place. Sure, maybe you should have worn better shoes, shouldn't have increased your mileage so quickly, should have stopped to rest when your knee first started giving you pain, but you can't go back and change what's already been done. So, rather than feeling guilty about things that you could have done differently in the past, use your energy to focus on the future and how you can get yourself back to feeling your best. And if you're feeling guilty about being so self-absorbed in your injury - get over it and use that feeling to do what's best for your body so you can get better." 6 - Depression "What should you do to combat the loss you feel when you can't [do those regular activities that you love]? Find other things to keep you busy. If you are looking for a physical outlet or need another form of exercise, look into swimming, golf or yoga. If you miss the thrill of race day, volunteer to work at a water stop. If you miss the buddies that you usually run with, get together with them in some other social context. Finding ways to keep your spirits up will make you more likely to stick with your rehab program and will make the road to recovery more bearable." 7 - Acceptance Everyone experiences these stages in different time frames and different intensities - but trust me, we see it all. It's just part of the healing process. Helping to recognize these feelings in yourself will help you to deal with them more rapidly and more constructively. As will confessing to the friendly ear of your physical therapist - it's what we're here for. -Eric Ellingson, MSPT Excerpts from "A Guide to the 7 Stages of Grief Following a Running Injury" from The PT Project web site. For the full text of their article, see:http://www.theptproject.com/clinical-practice/a-guide-to-the-7-stages-of-grief-following-a-running-injury/
BE Fit Physical Therapy
45 Lyme Road
Hanover,New Hampshire 03755
603-653-0040
| 
