- Keep in mind, intentionally exercising is meant to be challenging. Your heart rate will likely increase, your muscles will feel sore, your body will feel tired, and you will likely need more sleep/rest to recover. There are other experiences that come when starting exercising that are usual and, if they come up, you should talk to your team if you have concerns.
- Remember that new exercises take time to learn. It is usual for there to be days, or weeks, where you will be practicing the new exercises before they look the way you want them to. This is neither the “right” way or the “wrong” way to move; it is simply the way our bodies learn how to do something new. It will take time, repetition, and practice. If you have found specific ways to perform an exercise which are more tolerable and less symptom provoking with the help of your clinician or on your own, that is a great place to start with that movement.
- Exercising when recovering from an injury can include pain and symptom aggravation. Navigating them can be difficult and may require insight from your physiotherapist to know how far into these symptoms you should go. Some self-reflection of whether the pain and symptoms are usual for you can be eye-opening as well (refer to your previous experience with physical activity or exerting yourself). Both your kinesiologist and your physiotherapist may be helpful in modifying the exercises to help you if you find you aren’t able to manage your symptoms while exercising.
What’s My “Capacity” or “Tolerance”?
Will I need surgery?
A question that may help with understanding your exercises is “am I working on building ‘Capacity’ or ‘Tolerance’?” It is likely that both will be part of your injury rehabilitation and recovery, yet there will be times where you will need to focus on one over the other. On days that symptoms are lower, you may be able to lift more weight and push your body more and build capacity. On days where symptoms are higher, you may want to focus more on tolerance building with more time for symptom management strategies. Both take time, and the progress you should expect will be different.
Let’s Get Started!
Your exercise program has been created to support your recovery and it may look different than you expect. It will likely look different for you than someone else. Keep in mind that your individual recovery factors should help guide your expectations of what “progress” looks like. Call the Progression Muscle, Bone and Joint Clinic to learn more about our Exercise Programs!