Will hobbles around in PT
See More Pix of Will and his Injuries on Flickr.
By William Meinen
I sat down the other day and reflected on the past year. I was trying to come up with a 2008 resolution. I looked back and felt it wasn't as productive as it should have been. A broken metacarpal at the start of January kept me out of the winter mix for 2 months. A broken tibia in the spring left me hobbling around on crutches and forced me to forgo most of the summer rock season. Recently during an apres ski/stunt-gone-wrong I ended up with a broken calcaneus and a cast on the other leg, putting myself back on my arse for another solid stint of reading old climbing magazines and drinking stiff cocktails. All in all I was out a total of six months this year due to injuries.
My resolution for 2008 was clear. I will be attempting to get a year in without injuries or broken bones.
It seems easy enough. We'll see how it goes.
Anyways, I thought I would take a moment and discuss the lessons I learned about getting hurt, and some things to do to help get you back in the game as fast as possible.
1. How to Avoid Injury
Looking back on my injuries, I would have to attribute them all to poor judgment. Risk assessment is a hard skill to hone. If you don?t push yourself to the limit, you?ll never know how far you can go. Unfortunately the world of climbing isn?t very forgiving and if you push yourself past your limit you?ll probably get hurt. Quite often it's a fine line, but if you want to stay injury free you?ll quickly learn to avoid crossing that line.
2. How to Deal with an Injury When it Happens
If you are like me you will probably push yourself past the line every now and again. The quicker you can treat your injury, the quicker you will be on the road to recovery. Unfortunately this can be quite tricky when in isolated areas. Having the skills to deal with injuries in remote locations can be a real lifesaver. No pun intended. Impromptu first aid skill can literally save your life. Remember R.I.C.E and apply it as soon as possible. Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. Wikipedia is a great resource to check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RICE You might not be able to meet all the criteria right away, but get creative and do as much as you can. A small first aid kit can go a long way.
3. How to Deal with an Injury After the Fact.
Up here in Canada x-rays are free so I usually go to the hospital and get one done once I get myself back to civilization. Even if there are no breaks it's always better to be safe than sorry. Plus it's always neat to see your own skeleton on the x-ray machine. If you've broken bones get ready for a long six weeks with your new. If nothing is broken ask your doctor if he recommends seeing a physiotherapist. Physiotherapy is a great way to speed up the healing process, and make sure that the injury doesn't become a chronic issue.
4. Wait for a Full Recovery
The recovery stage is probably the most important part of the process. A physiotherapist will help you find exercises that will help you regain mobility and strength in a timely and effective manner. Start with baby steps and slowly progress back to full force. DON'T RUSH IT. Over exertion will only lead to re-injury. This is a good time to practice the virtues of patience.
5. Giver
Once you are feeling back up to par, it's time to get back in the mix and give'r! Wish me luck with my injury free '08! I think it's going to be a good one.
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Comments (2)
hi
would really like any information possible..
i broke my calcaneus quite bad , ive had 5 plates and 15 screws put in.. am i literally screwd am i gona be able to get back to normal??? im quite enerjetic and just cant beleive me not being the same again...
thanks
Posted by jourdan james | March 10, 2008 11:36 AM
Posted on March 10, 2008 11:36
I would definitely get a proper assessment done by a physiotherapist as soon as the cast comes off.
I definitely know the feeling. Time will pass and hopefully you'll be back out there in the mix again.
good luck!
Posted by will | March 10, 2008 11:54 AM
Posted on March 10, 2008 11:54