About a year ago, I woke up one day with a really intense pain around my left big toe. I thought it was odd, but went about my day as usual. I was in the height of my fitness routine, newlywed and in the process of buying a house. Nothing could stop me. Of course, later I learned I had a significant injury and, being stubborn in my quest to meet my goals, I quickly needed to learn how to work out with an injury.
Okay, Maybe Something Could Stop Me
As the day went on, the pain worsened. I remember walking through the grocery store with my husband, telling him we had to walk slower because my foot was a little sore. It was WAY more than “a little” sore, and I am always in a rush. So, this was out of character.
Later, we went to a family birthday party and I had to stay in a chair most of the evening as the pain became more and more intense.
We even wound up leaving early because of it. When we got up to leave, I couldn’t fit my shoe onto my foot, it was so swollen.
This is when I knew something was very wrong.
By the time we got home, I was in tears. We were up most of the night icing my foot while I just cried and cried. So, Sunday morning we headed to Urgent Care.
They couldn’t find anything immediately wrong, but they took an x-ray just in case and had it sent to the local pediatrist (aka. Foot Doctor).
Sesamoiditis – Not As Fun As it Sounds
Later that week, the x-ray results came in and I found out that I had an injury known as Sesamoiditis.
The sesamoid is a tiny little bone, right near the base of your big toe, and if it becomes bruised, that tiny little bone can cause major pain.
As it turned out, I had slightly fractured a bone near that little sesamoid, causing it to bruise badly. This little injury put me in an air cast boot for about 6 weeks, followed by months of physical therapy.
It’s Not What I Had Planned
I was devastated that I had done this to myself. This injury meant no more running in the mornings before work, no more step aerobics, no more hiking, and a giant hurdle between me and getting my little duplex all packed up in time to move into our new home.
I saw visions of the fat I had lost just piling back onto my body and thought my world was coming to an end.
When I saw Steve, he smiled and said “This is a great opportunity to improve on your upper body strength.”
So, there we have it.
Moving Forward and Learning How to Work Out with An Injury
Hubs and I managed to get moved into our house (with a lot of help), I didn’t put all my weight back on (yet), and my foot healed.
An injury is not the end of your training, nor is it an excuse to stop working out altogether. Within the realm of your doctor or physical therapist’s approval, you can still exercise, your focus just needs to shift to an area away from your injury.
Since my foot was injured, I did a lot of push-ups from my knees and a lot of core work. I was also still able (even encouraged by my doctor!) to take very short walks with Hubs & Sweet Little Bentley.
If you become injured:
- Do not hesitate to see a doctor. If you’re in extreme pain, it’s only going to worsen the longer you wait.
- Go to physical therapy, and do the exercises they send you home with! It might hurt a little, but you’ll avoid long-term issues.
- Keep working out – just shift your area of focus. Consider working with a personal trainer, or asking your physical therapist how to work out with an injury.
An injury is not the end of your training or your physical well-being. It could be the beginning of a new chapter.
Since my injury, I don’t run at all anymore, but I do walk every single morning with my husband and my dog, and I cherish this time we have together.
If I’d never been injured, maybe I’d still be running alone every morning and missing out on what is now my favorite part of the day.
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I love this post, Amanda! I teaching Bikram Yoga which is a great workout, but also therapeutic, hence I teach a lot of people with injuries. Your experience really resonated with me, especially the part about needing to shift your focus if you get an injury. Sometimes (most times) injuries can be our greatest teachers!
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