Rehab

It’s now been over a month since I’ve been able to return to the box after my back injury. While I was injured it seemed like all I could think about was getting back into my routine. My motivation to get better was driven by my desire to continue doing Crossfit.


Now that the back pain is gone, channeling back into my old routine has become very difficult. I am weaker for sure – I definitely sacrificed some strength by spending six weeks on a couch, taking muscle relaxers. My endurance capacity also suffered – getting through each WOD is more of a chore than ever before. It feels like I am starting out all over again.

But aside from just being physically WEAK, I seem to also have a mental handicap that did not exist before. After all of the physical therapy and consultation about proper form to avoid injury, I’ve become hyper-conscious of doing anything somewhat risky. And the “risky” category pretty much includes everything that we do – lifting weight overhead, anything that requires extending my back, fast-paced, timed WODs, etc.

During the first couple of weeks after returning to the box, there were several WODs that I just walked out of – there was no way that I could finish them, physically or mentally. Over time, it’s gotten a little easier, but the mental wall I’ve built up is still pretty tall. If there’s ever a minor excuse not to finish a WOD (like not enough room on the pullup bar), I totally seize the opportunity to bail.

The coaching staff does not look favorably upon WODs uncompleted, so I’m going to try and finish them out from now on. But overcoming this injury has been tougher than I had ever expected.

I’m looking forward to the WOD this Saturday at Northpark. Crossfit and La Duni. FTW.