Yahoo News How runners can best manage their injuries during coronavirus
Surgeries and MRIs rescheduled. Orthopaedic clinics and physical therapists’ offices shuttered. Even spin classes and pools—the last refuge of sidelined runners—are largely unavailable right now. The coronavirus pandemic has reached everyone, including injured athletes.
Hollyanne Fricke, 32, had spent weeks preparing, physically and mentally, for hip surgery on 26 March - down to packing her freezer with soup, lasagna, and breakfast sandwiches.
The week beforehand, she learned her procedure was cancelled, without even a tentative date for rescheduling. The news dashed her hopes of running her first Boston Marathon, briefly revived when the race’s date moved from April to September. “It’s been a roller coaster,” Fricke told Runner’s World.
Fricke works in the public health sector, so she understands the reasoning. Still, she’s struggling to cope without her primary outlet. “I’m able to exercise a little bit, though definitely not to the extent I’d like to. And I’m pretty much in pain all the time. That part sucks more than any of the rest of it.”
There’s no doubt the pandemic and its effects pose specific challenges for sidelined runners. But you may have more options than you realise, said Rachel Miller, P.T., the owner of ProAction Physical Therapy in Rockville. Plus, managing your injury provides a sense of control that translates into the rest of your life. Here’s how to do it:
Own your emotions.
When a global crisis coincides with a personal one, it’s normal to experience a mix of feelings. Some injured runners dwell on how unfair the situation seems, taking the events personally. Others first feel disappointed at their own losses, then immediately guilty, given the scale of the situation.
Don’t beat yourself up for being bummed, said Carrie Jackson Cheadle, a certified mental performance consultant in San Rafael, California, and my coauthor on the book Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger from Sports Injuries. “Of course it’s upsetting—it’s upsetting all around for everybody, what we’re going through,” she said. Allow yourself time to grieve your losses, then see if you can redirect your energy into proactive action.
Evaluate remote options.
Most orthopaedic clinics and physical therapists’ offices have closed to prevent the spread of the virus and conserve medical resources, but injured runners aren’t completely stranded. Many sports-medicine clinicians have made a fast shift to telemedicine, said Jordan Metzl, M.D., of New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery.
Since he started practicing through secure video chats in March, Metzl has diagnosed aliments like shin splints and stress fractures by watching patients move and asking questions. Then he offers strength-training programs and running-form adjustments. Physical therapists like Miller have moved online to evaluate movements and check surgical sites, as well as demonstrate exercises and supervise patients as they complete them.
Even if formal consultations aren’t an option, your PT or other provider may answer questions by phone or email. “We as practitioners are here to serve,” said Ryan Verchota, D.C., a sports chiropractor and owner of Chicago-based Optimal Performance, who’s providing training tweaks, range-of-motion assessments, and more remotely.
That’s what happened to Donna Dowling, 69, a runner whose 19 March hip replacement surgery was canceled two days prior. Her surgeon’s office called with a tentative late-May date, then the doc himself got on a call.
“He told me in no uncertain terms that even though I am hobbling from room to room now, I will be able to run again,” she said. And to ease her outbreak-related fears, he went over all the precautions they’d take when re-opening and said she might not have to stay overnight after her procedure.
Don’t assume you have no options if your provider’s office doesn’t reach out to you, Miller said. Many of them are scrambling to go digital. Be proactive: Call the office and listen to the voicemail, email your doctor or PT if you have their address, or check the clinic’s website and social media pages.
Supplement pro advice with online information, including blogs and YouTube videos from athletes who’ve been there, said Megan Roche, M.D., a runner, coach at Some Work All Play, and clinical researcher who’s working on her Ph.D. in epidemiology at Stanford University.
When Roche had surgery for a torn hamstring last May, she found suggestions on everything from recovery timelines to rehab exercises to the most comfortable toilet seat in a Facebook group for people with proximal high hamstring ruptures.
Get creative with cross-training.
Injured runners often take to the pool, bike, or elliptical to stay fit while healing. But what can you do if your gym is closed or your movements are restricted?
Ask your doc or PT, if possible, what’s safe given your specific injury—stress fractures, for instance, often require you to stay non-weight-bearing at first. Metzl advises his athletes to avoid anything that causes pain severe enough to alter their mechanics.
Getting outside for walks, slow jogs, or bike rides offers physical release and a mood lift, Miller said. But if your injury or local regulations don’t allow it, you can sweat and strengthen indoors with a little ingenuity. Check if local gyms and studios are offering Instagram Live or Zoom options or check out Runner’s World home workouts.
You can also order strength or cardio equipment online, Roche points out—mini-bikes you can pedal with your arms, as she did during her recovery, are available on Amazon. Even if you lack equipment or the ability to procure it, bodyweight exercises like lunges, squats, and planks have plenty of benefits for runners; you can increase the challenge with household items like soup cans and water jugs.
Manage your stress.
Injuries rob you of a valuable coping mechanism while adding extra uncertainty and pressure, all dialled up exponentially in the middle of a pandemic. That makes it critical for injured athletes to proactively manage stress, Jackson Cheadle said.
Why? An overabundance of stress hormones like cortisol can slow healing and make you prone to re-injury. They can also decrease your overall immunity, Roche said. To be clear, there’s no evidence injured athletes are more susceptible to COVID-19. Still, now isn’t a time to diminish your defences.
Sleep, nutritious meals, and avoiding late-night social media scrolling go a long way, Verchota said. Also consider meditation. Apps like Headspace and Calm are offering free trials or additional resources right now. The habit could not only make you feel better, but improve your performance when you’re back to training and racing, Roche said.
Write these measures into your calendar or training plan just as you would a run or other workout. Because your regular routines may be upended by injury and work-from-home or social isolation policies, creating new ones offers control and comfort, Verchota said.
Take precautions.
If you have a doctor’s appointment, call ahead—chances are your doctor will ask you to reschedule, Roche said. If you do have to go in, take steps to reduce exposing yourself to the coronavirus. Ask for an early-morning appointment, when patient flow is reduced and clinics have been recently cleaned. “It’s extra important to advocate for yourself, to ask those questions, to be cautious and safe,” Roche said.
When you’re out, follow guidance from the Government—wash your hands frequently; avoid touching your face; and use the NHS 111 online service if you are worried you have symptoms.
Give thanks for extra time to heal.
As challenging as these times seem, remember that injury has prepared you to deal with unexpected setbacks. Before her pelvic stress fracture four months ago, a closed gym or missed workout would have thrown runner Meggie Schneider, 22, into a panic.
Now—drawing on lessons she learned from her recovery and from working with a sports psychologist—she’s deriving calm during chaos from her daily walk-runs, keeping her social distance, and not fretting about weight gain or lost fitness until she can get another MRI and return to her doctor and coach.
Some runners may even find a silver lining in the situation. More time may allow you to repair damage and strengthen for rescheduled races. Injuries like ACL tears, some of which can be treated either with PT or with surgery, may heal without an invasive procedure given the delay, Metzl said.
If you still have to have an operation later, strengthening work done now can help the procedure go more smoothly and recovery proceed more swiftly, Miller said—in fact, she sees many patients for so-called prehab even in normal times.
And remember—with training groups on hiatus and many races postponed or canceled, you’re relieved of pressure to return quickly, Roche said. One option is to focus on stress relief, general health, and strengthening and stretching movements to improve or balance out your injury, such as calf raises for Achilles pain.
If your motivation to move wanes with no big goals on the horizon, set new ones. Just make sure you’re accounting for revised healing timelines and cancellations or postponements, Jackson Cheadle said. Events like virtual races, social-media challenges, or fundraising runs can provide a stand-in for big events in the meantime.
“In the big scheme of things, I know this one year won’t be the end-all, be-all,” Fricke said. “I look forward to participating in Boston in some capacity at some point, and lots of other races and events in the future. I’m just trying to keep my eye on the big picture.”
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