How to Stay Fit When You’re Recovering From a Workout Injury

An injury can instantly throw off a workout routine and cause fitness levels to spiral downward. But an injury doesn’t have to mean no exercise at all.
“Modified exercise is important,” says Jon Schriner, the medical director for the Michigan Center for Athletic Medicine in Flushing, Mich. Typically, sports doctors and physical therapists will evaluate how an injury occurred, identify weaknesses and technique errors, and then almost immediately come up with a structured exercise plan, he says. “Without structure, most people will repeat the pattern of injury, or return to activity before the injury is resolved, therefore risking reinjury.”
Dr. Schriner says there are a variety of therapies that can protect the injury during the rehabilitation process, including water exercises, Thera-Bands, stretches, and resistance exercises. “A structured program is key for the patient to learn, progress, and see the light at the end of the tunnel,” he says.
Lewis Maharam, who has a sports medicine private practice in New York, says cross training such as abdominal work and upper-body strengthening is important to continue while working through an injury He suggests people getting over lower body injuries keep up their cardio with pool workouts. “Buy an AquaJogger, a belt that helps keep you buoyant, and join a pool workout or just run in the pool,” he says. “Start with water at a higher level, which puts more resistance on the body as you move forward through the water, and then graduated to running in lower water depths.”