The Other Side of Rehab
When it comes to physical therapy, most people hear the first word and a lot of other aspects of recovery probably go out the window. Less thought usually gets put into nutrition, hydration, sleep and definitely the mental side of recovery from pain or injury. Focus gets put on one portion of the solution. Sure, we need to improve range of motion, strength, and capacity but the mental aspect can be one of the most important parts of rehabbing an injury and today we are going to talk about why.
Why is the mental side of rehab worth touching on? Well, I’m not sure that anyone I’ve ever met is happy to be in pain or happy they got injured. Plenty of people take something positive away from overcoming these things, many make important lifestyle changes, but injuries suck. No arguments about it. They suck when they happen and they suck to recover from. You can’t do the things you like to do, either partially or at all, and generally this makes us feel worse. Recovery can be difficult, slow, frustrating. That’s why it helps to know that your mindset is sometimes a bigger battle than putting in the actual physical work. There are three major mindset principles to put into practice.
First and foremost, the biggest thing I preach is ‘get comfortable with being uncomfortable.’ A lot of people walk in for an evaluation and assume it’s going to be painful. PT can have that reputation, but that is not at all what I’m talking about (and most PT sessions should not be more painful than when you walked in the door, in my opinion). Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable, with discomfort, is not exclusive to PT but is something we should use to prepare for life. Humans are made to be challenged, to push our limits. Sometimes that’s uncomfortable though. Whether it’s exercise, a new situation, or confronting someone about an issue at work, the more comfortable we get with a little discomfort the easier things actually become to deal with.
Now I love to discuss working on dealing with discomfort, but you’ve probably heard the most important mental aspect of rehab quoted as such: “Consistency is king.” There is no denying this one. This means the rehab itself, and sleep and nutrition and recovery between sessions. The more consistent you are, the smoother your recovery is likely to go. That means being okay with boring, doing the small things every day to make small gains every day. 1% every adds up over time. Sure, you’ll see some big improvements here and there but the work between is what causes those jumps. And remember, consistency is not perfection: you are probably going to miss a day, which is fine but as James Clear says in ‘Atomic Habits’ – Never miss twice.
Finally, with any course of rehab there will be frustration and the need for patience. Sometimes it might be a setback out of your control, or slow healing. Sometimes it might be with your PT, in all honesty. My job is to simultaneously push you and protect the healing structures. That’s not always the most fun job, for me or you, and that’s why having a plan and being patient plays a huge role in knowing you will get there. If you don’t have a rehab plan after an injury, you need to find a PT who can give you one. And then together you need to work through that plan, step by step.
The mental side of rehab is not always straight forward. However, the three things above that we considered can certainly make rehab as a whole much more tolerable while you work your way back. Every step counts, Rome wasn’t built in a day, you pick the next cliché. And then get back to work so you can build your legacy!
