How to Improve Your Mindset After an Injury

There is no getting around it… Injuries can be devastating. You worked incredibly hard in your training and sacrificed a lot in order to achieve your goals, only to have it temporarily ripped out from under you after an injury. It is perfectly normal to grieve after an injury, as one goes through a type of loss. Loss of function, loss of routine, loss of normalcy, temporary loss of a hobby, etc. 

As a physical therapist who has helped numerous people navigate through injuries, I can fully empathize with the emotional toll injuries have on the body, mind, and spirit. What a lot of people don’t realize is that how you respond to the injury mentally, is just as important as the physical rehabilitation. Multiple studies have proven that having a positive mental attitude can actually elicit healing properties in the body. Just ask Dr. Alia Crum, a psychologist and principal investigator of the Stanford Mind and Body Lab, whose research shows how mindsets affect human behavior as well as physical and mental health outcomes. You can read more about Dr. Crum’s research and the science of mindsets for health and performance here. 

In summary, the better your attitude towards an injury and the recovery process, the easier it will be and, ultimately, the faster you will recover. As a physical therapist who has been on the other side of injuries more times than I can count, here are some of my favorite ways to improve your mindset after an injury. Hope this helps anyone going through a rough injury!

ACCEPTANCE 

The first step in any rehab program is acceptance. More often than not, people will be in denial about their injury. I have seen very smart people ignore symptoms and put off getting help because they do not want to accept that they are injured. But at the end of the day, ignoring your symptoms is dumb. Pain is your body's way of telling you that something needs to change. Stop training through pain and ignoring the signs, it can lead to worsening of the injury. Accept that your lifestyle may have to change a bit in order to heal. Accept that this is temporarily your new normal. The keyword here is temporary. Yes, you may have to modify your training in some way in order to allow your body to heal, but sooner you realize that this is temporary and won’t be forever, the better off you will be. The sooner you accept it, the sooner you can get help, the sooner you are on the road to recovery. YOU are the only person that has the power to change the situation. 

CHOOSE THE RIGHT PHYSICAL THERAPIST FOR YOU  

With the option of Direct Access Physical Therapy, you have a choice in who your physical therapist is. You will be spending a lot of time with your PT, so make sure you choose a therapist that you vibe with, one that is supportive of your goals, one that is willing to educate you about your diagnosis, one that personally customizes your plan of care… When deciding who to work with, you have every right to interview your healthcare providers to make sure you are choosing a PT that is right for you. 

EXPECT TO WORK HARD

I think everyone at the start of their rehabilitation journey should ask themselves the same questions… 

“How hard am I willing to work to achieve my goals?” 

“Am I willing to prioritize myself and my recovery?”

“Am I willing to accept that this process cannot be rushed, and that the easy way does not yield long-term success?”

“Am I willing to do exactly what my physical therapist asks of me?”

“Am I willing to stop making excuses for my pain?”

Rehab isn’t easy. But nothing ever good or long-lasting ever comes easy. Expect to work hard, and I can almost guarantee that it will pay off in the long run. 

UNDERSTAND SETBACKS ARE INEVITABLE  

-The rehabilitation process rarely ever goes according to plan (unless you plan for setbacks, which you should). It is full of ups and downs, victories and losses, ebbs and flows. You will have setbacks. You will get frustrated. You will experience moments of doubt. You will experience flare ups. All of this is NORMAL. Recovery is a process, and you will experience all of the highs and lows before achieving your end goal. However, on this path to recovery you will learn more about your own body, how to adapt to challenges, become mentally stronger, and ultimately come out the other side a more resilient version of yourself. 

COMMUNICATION IS KEY

-I cannot stress this enough… the more you communicate with your rehabilitation team the better your outcomes will be. If something hurts, speak up. If you are sad or frustrated, don’t be scared to express your feelings. Conversely, if you are happy with your progress be sure to voice it! As PT’s we help people through some of the most vulnerable times in their lives. Trust me, we have heard and seen it all. If you are going through a tough time, your PT can help. As physical therapists we constantly adjust our treatment plans to adapt to the situation. The more informed your provider is about your current mental and physical state, the easier it will be to make the proper adjustments.. The more you talk to your PT, the sooner you can find a solution, or just get some peace of mind. Remember, you are never alone in your rehab journey. 

Dr. Samantha Benavides

Co-Owner

PT, DPT