Injured? Why rest might not be the best medicine

When you experience an injury or a pain episode, our natural reaction is often to stop everything. “Rest up”, “take it easy”, “don’t do anything”; can be the well-intended advice from friends and family. For years we’ve been told to pop some ice (or a heat pack) on, rest up and wait for the pain to subside. BUT while rest plays an important role in the initial stages of healing, current evidence tells us that movement can often be your greatest ally in recovery.

In fact, complete rest can often do more harm than good. Particularly in the long term. Prolonged immobility can lead to stiffness, muscle weakness, and reduced mobility, all of which can delay your recovery. Your body needs movement to help aid tissue repair. The key is finding the right balance - rest enough to avoid aggravating your symptoms, but also the right amount of movement that will help encourage and support healing.

Let’s look at why movement is essential for recovery and how you use it wisely to support your healing journey.

Why Movement is Medicine

When we think of recovery, we can tend to think of ‘rest and repair’. But the human body thrives and relies on movement, especially while repairing. While some rest is necessary, particularly in the early stages, we still need movement - even while injured. Here’s why:

Improve and Support Circulation

Movement promotes blood flow, this in turn delivers oxygen and nutrients to injured tissues. These are essential for the repair process in the tissues. Movement also aids the lymphatic system, the system responsible for removing the swelling from tissues and supporting your immune system. Without movement the lymphatic system can become sluggish and less efficient, thus delaying healing.

Reducing Stiffness and Improving Mobility

Staying active prevents joints and muscles from becoming tight and restricted. When you have an area that is painful and sore to move, it can be tempting to think that you need to avoid all movement. But the body does not work in isolation, stiffness in one area will have flow on effects in other areas. So too with movement. Mobilising and moving non-painful areas, can have a positive influence on injured areas.

Pain Relief Through Movement

Controlled, low-intensity, mindful activity can actually reduce pain signals by creating positive input to your brain and nervous system. Movement that is pain-free can encourage the release of endorphins, your body’s natural painkillers.

Rebuild Global Strength and Function

Recovery after injury isn’t just about healing the injured tissues in the area of pain. It’s also about regaining strength, balance and coordination in the surrounding muscles and joints and indeed the body as a whole. Early, gentle movement after injury plays a vital role in this process and can help reduce unhelpful adaptations of the body.

Tips for Moving Well after Pain or Injury

1. Start slow, progress gradually:
   Avoid diving into your usual workout routine, or the activity that caused your injury in the first place. Start with gentle, low-impact movements, then increase the intensity and challenge as your body adapts.

2. Listen to your body:
   Movement during recovery shouldn’t cause sharp or worsening pain. Some mild discomfort is normal and it’s ok for this to feel challenging. But the activity should be manageable and not lead to excessive swelling or painful flare ups later.

3. Low-impact
   The movement that you do should be low-impact. Depending on your injury that might mean walking or swimming, or it might be isolated single joint movements. The focus here is to not place too much stress on the injured area.

4. Incorporate Functional Movements
   If you’re not sure where to start, try movements that mimic daily activity. For example, a small range squat simulates the natural movement of sitting in a chair.

5. Don’t Neglect Adjacent Areas
   If your injured area is too painful to move, you can still keep moving by focusing on other areas. For example, if you have a sprained ankle, try some spinal movements from a seated position like cat cow and twisting, to help keep your spine mobile, or lay on your back and try some core exercises like dead bug.

Ask a professional

Every person and their injury is unique. What works for one person may not be right for you, following the advice from your mate who ‘tried this when he last hurt his back and it worked a treat’; can do more harm than good. Ensure you consult with your trusted health professional, like your Myotherapist, to get the best advice and ensure that you’re moving in a way that supports - not hinders - your recovery.

Recovering from an injury doesn’t mean you need to hit pause on life. By embracing movement and avoiding the “I just need to rest” mindset, you’re setting yourself up for an effective recovery. Movement is medicine.