The Importance of Staying Active at Home Even with an Injury

How to Practice Safe and Effective Indoor Exercise Routines

In an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, people from all over the world have been asked to do their part to help flatten the curve by staying indoors as much as possible. Regardless of how active your lifestyle normally is, being confined by the walls of your home can present certain challenges when it comes to making sure you are getting an adequate amount of exercise that is necessary for maintaining a healthy mind and body. This can be further complicated if you have an existing injury. Fortunately, getting injured doesn’t mean you are completely sidelined. There are several ways to remain active while at home that will actually encourage healing and help you get back into top condition. 

 

5 Ways to Stay Active at Home if You are Injured

Whether you have overexerted yourself during a workout or experienced an accident unrelated to your regular exercise routine, it’s not easy to give up something that makes you feel good. Dealing with an injury, especially if you are stuck indoors, means prioritizing both your mental and physical health during your recovery. 

Here are a few reasons why staying active when you are at home is important and how to do so safely if you have an injury: 

  • Start Slowly: Maintaining a baseline level of fitness while you have an injury will help you ease into your regular exercise routine once it is safe to do so. Set realistic goals and take this time to focus on stretching and flexibility while modifying the routine to work around your particular injury. 
  • Train a Specific Skill: If you want to remain productive with an injury, this is a great opportunity to cross train. For instance, if you’ve hurt your wrist, now may be a good time to switch to cardio workouts or work on improving your upper body and core strength if you have an ankle injury. Both types of exercises can be performed at home. 
  • Improve Your Mental Strength: Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. While getting frustrated by your injury is normal, staying positive is one of the best things you can do for your body. For instance, you can exercise your mind by finding a quiet place in your home to meditate.  
  • Alter Your Diet: While rigorous exercises are out of the equation, it is still important to ensure you are eating a well-balanced diet. This will promote healing from the inside out and help you avoid putting on extra weight if you are not exercising as frequently as you’re used to. This is an especially important time to incorporate more anti-inflammatory foods into your diet. 
  • Focus on Recovery: Now is the perfect time to work on preventing future injuries by ensuring you properly stretch before and after your low-impact exercise routine. Also, if you have a minor injury, treat the area with ice or heat therapy to help reduce inflammation and try using a foam roller to speed up your recovery.

If you are used to performing high-intensity exercise routines, pushing yourself too hard when you’re already injured can prolong your recovery. Rather, now is the time to listen to your body and substitute your usual workout with safe and low-impact exercises that don’t impact the rehabilitation process. For individuals who find themselves out of commission for an extended period of time, it may be time to consider seeking professional advice from a qualified physical therapist. At Medical Rehabilitation Centers of Pennsylvania, our licensed therapists can provide you with therapy services that will help you work towards maintaining strength and conditioning so you can recover faster and more efficiently. Additionally, our physical therapy programs are tailored to meet the needs of each client with a universal focus on increasing mobility to prevent future injuries.  

Book an appointment for physical therapy treatment today. Contact us at the location of your choice or complete our online form and we will get back to you soon.