Nursing an injury or making excuses?

by ~jenniferlynn on January 9, 2014

in CrossFit

The Sunday before Thanksgiving I was doing an extra workout to prep for an upcoming partner competition. The last workout of the day was simple: eight minutes to establish a max weight that the female partner could squat clean, followed by the male partner squat-snatching that same weight.  I had never maxed my squat clean (current power clean PR is 115#) but last competition somehow managed a 115# thruster so knew I should be able to squat clean at least the same.

Going into the workout, I wasn’t feeling super motivated and mentally wasn’t fully committed, but I knew physically I should be able to do the weight, so started at 85# and performed my one rep at a time until I failed at 105#. I was determined to make the lift, took a minute, and attempted the weight again.

I performed the clean, fast elbows and all, dropping way under the bar into an a**-to-grass squat, where I proceeded to get stuck in the hole. I had lost all momentum so could not bounce out of the bottom and no amount of pushing my knees out or driving my heels in the ground was going to get me to stand up. So with mental frustrations and the physical weight of the bar pushing me down, I attempted to bail. Except rather than getting out of the way of the bar, I had a bit of a moment of panic and allowed the bar to roll towards me onto my fingertips, hyper-extending both of my wrists and hearing a resounding *crack*.

Ouch.

More than ouch.

I was in a state of shock as time stood still; I had no idea what sort of damage I had done, but I knew I was in pain, tears streaming uncontrollably down my face. It wasn’t the kind of sobbing or whining crying that I have done quite a few times in my workouts when I would self-induce a panic attack, but rather it was an instinctive reaction to what had just happened, both physically and emotionally overwhelming.

Neither wrist was swollen, but the pain was pretty severe. After a quick observation from our resident chiropractor, he was sure nothing was broken. If there was a moment where I felt the strong urge to cuss (which I never do), this was probably one of the cases that I would deem it necessary. I cursed silently to myself and cried to myself the whole ride home; angry because I had hurt myself, more angry that I let myself freak out in the squat, and further upset that I would likely need to take a break for a while. I wrote before about how Crossfit is dangerous because of the athletes, and I had just proven it to myself once again that I was careless.

After the remainder of Thanksgiving week staying off my wrists (and running a snowy Turkey Trot 10k, which I finished to the same second as my last 10k, 1:00:36, compared to 1:00:16), I attempted to resume my workout schedule per usual, scaling what I needed to take the pressure of my wrists.

Push-ups were out. Burpees were out. Thrusters, cleans, strict presses, overhead or front squats, snatches: no, no, no, no, and no.

Some TLC with my new Ouch Wraps..

Some TLC with my new Ouch Wraps..

I rendered myself pretty useless. I have been doing plenty of stretches and heat treatments. I went for a mobility massage which seemed to help for a hot minute, then onto the chiropractor for more adjusting. After three weeks of light lifting and keeping usage to a minimum, I finally caved after the pain continued and went to see a hand and wrist specialist. 

Diagnosis: Nothing broken, nothing torn. Treatment: Rest. And if I have to workout, use machines.

Ha. When I expressed that machines were not a consideration, he just suggested taking it easy and being smart about actions, but be aware it will probably linger for another month. So here I sit, going light when I need to, but becoming increasingly frustrated that I have not regained the strength that I had prior to my half marathon training, and now my progress being stalled even more.

But now I have uncovered a new problem: because I have been having an issue with my wrists, I have been taking it easy on in a lot of WODs; scaling weight and not pushing myself hard in the metcon or endurance workouts. But at what point do I draw the line between taking it easy to prevent a further injury versus taking the eas out and not pushing myself when I should? It’s almost as if I use limited wrist mobility as an excuse to not push myself.

I have goals, big fat, BHAGs. I have major aspirations for the upcoming Open and I have a competition in two weeks to rock.

How is taking it easy going to help me achieve anything? I have no reason not to push 150% in everything not-wrist related as I let it heal. I should be working to master the skills  that do not bother my wrists, such as pull-ups and deadlifts. I should focus on back squats or pistols. Box jumps and wall balls. Rowing.

I found this quote floating around somewhere on the web and I am making it my motto for the upcoming month, taking any sort of frustrations or animosity towards my progress or training and shifting it into a new perspective:

When you feel like you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders... do some SQUATS!!!

What a great reminder to not let certain things crush you or hold you back; focus on what you can do and move forward.

Your turn..
Have you ever let one limitation affect things on a larger scale?

Have you set some big goals for the Open?
Have you ever done a partner competition?

 

Ree January 9, 2014 at 4:32 pm

Ouch! Sounds like a scary moment! Glad nothing is torn or broken. I suffer from piriformis syndrome and I feel the resulting sciatic pain in almost everything I do. It is tough to make the distinction between taking it easy to avoid further pain (and another sleepless night), or pushing past comfortable to strengthen the muscle and assist in recovery. I think people under-estimate how an injury really messes with your mental game. Hope you recover quickly!
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Stephanie
Twitter: 77txgrl
January 9, 2014 at 4:46 pm

Girl, you know I’m struggling with the wrist. And I’m so glad I didn’t go to a Dr. I knew I would be told the same as you. Sad I know, but the pain isn’t as bad and it’s definitely getting better. Just not at the rate I would like it to heal.

Regardless… I WAS IN THE SAME BOAT. I felt bleh, half assed it at the box, then upset how I’m losing all my strength. Welp, the truth does suck, strength will be lost. But that doesn’t mean you can’t kill other things. And I’m just barely trying to get to that point. My coaches are good about giving me substitute movements, even when I despise them. And I’m learning I’m not losing all the strength. For me I can do knuckle push ups and burpees without it affecting my wrist. I still can’t front rack the bar or do much overhead. We have a multigrip bar that I can put overhead because I can keep a straight locked out wrist. Now that I know I can use that I’ve had a better attitude. Still want to clean some heavy weight though :/

I know it’s hard when you have to scale or what not but just keep your chin up. Look forward, find new goals, then make more goals when those wrists heal up!
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sue January 9, 2014 at 4:47 pm

This wrist injury has been lingering, I’m sorry for you, you are always an inspiration at the workouts. I’m not nearly as conservative as you are so I’ll tell you how I deal with stuff like this. After having a specialist tell me it isn’t broken or torn I would say OK, I’ve been taking it easy long enough, I’m going to deal with a little bit of pain, wear wrist bands, and start working it again. I wouldn’t try for any big PR’s and I would gradually start adding weight.

I’ve had injuries that have made me crazy. I had a solo to dance in the Nutcracker, all on my toes. I neglected to warm up well and jumped into my dance and heard a crack and my foot turned black immediately. I wrapped the foot, put the shoes on, and did the solo. It hurt like hell but the show must go on and I wasn’t giving up this dance to anyone else. Today I have arthritis in my feet but it has nothing to do with the one time I injured the foot, it has a lot to do with the several years I danced on my toes.

Sorry I’m not a sympathetic person when it comes to injuries, I’m also not nearly as strong or as good at cross fit as you are. work it out, make things happen, and tell this pain to go away. Sometimes the lingering injuries are caused from your mental state, the fear of hurting yourself again. That’s why I can’t do a box jump 🙂 and might never do one; fear 🙂

Jacki
Twitter: JackiRHayes
January 10, 2014 at 11:04 am

So sorry the wrists are taking so long to heal. I completely understand where you are coming from. I do the same if the WOD includes running. Running still hurts, which hobbles me. Which leads to me basically giving up on the entire WOD because I know my score will suck anyways.

Need to get over that mentality (and fix the running issue).

Good luck!
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Martha
Twitter: Mychickenbutt
January 11, 2014 at 2:02 am

I so feel you. So much. Injuries don’t just suck while you are at your worst pain – it’s the aftermath that is the really hard part. Trying to figure out when and where to push, trying not to reinjure yourself, trying to be motivated to do ANYTHING at all… It really stinks! I am glad you are starting to get your groove back and that you are finding supplemental moves to push yourself with. I am finally all healed up, but every run or lift is humbling to say the least. I definitely don’t feel invincible anymore. The healing is the hardest part! Good luck at your comp!
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mandy @ fatgirlgonehealthy
Twitter: fatgirlhealthy
January 13, 2014 at 10:52 pm

Getting an injury that really sets you back can be sooooo frustrating. I had a nasty ankle sprain and it took 6 months to get things back to the way they were before. I had extra fluid in my ankle for a year! I really hope that your wrist get back into shape. Keeps taking care of it and it will heal. You will be awesome in the open no matter what!
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John B January 14, 2014 at 10:15 pm

That’s a bummer. I did something similar a few years back. I hyper-extended my left wrist pushing off at the bottom of a shoulder press. It hurt like hell for months and I can still feel it on rare occasions. Sensitive area. I hope it heals up well, and quick.
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Samantha Vermillion January 21, 2014 at 5:46 am

Good to hear no collateral damage is done. Hope for your quick recovery. I had a similar experience few months earlier, I managed to avoid a panic attack by consoling myself.

Suzanne @WorkoutNirvana January 22, 2014 at 4:19 pm

I hear a lot of self-flaggellation here, girl. I’m not part of the CF culture so I can’t attest to the go-til-you-bleed ways, but I do know, as an athlete, a woman, and a trainer, that a little self-love and self-care go a long, long way. Go easy on yourself. You’re badass but you’re also human. Repair and repair well before you push too hard again XO.
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Dr. Flash Tattoos January 25, 2014 at 11:52 am

Sounds really painful. Good to know nothing was broken. I guess you need to take your doctor’s advice and take it easy. I know it sounds horrible but it’s the only option you have for now. Just get back in the saddle when you are fully healed.
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Brandon January 26, 2014 at 1:03 pm

I’m going to agree with Suzanne’s comment above. I’ve found that not taking a day off when I’ve really needed to has meant I’ve had to take 2 months off from training instead of only need to take a couple of days off.

Sometimes its best to listen to your body and know when you need to take a break.
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Nicole
Twitter: mast2mar
January 26, 2014 at 8:48 pm

Even though I’ve been super busy and not able to read your blog regularly, I did see on FB about your wrist a while ago 🙁 I sprained my wrist during soccer in high school and I needed to wear a metal brace with a bandage for about 2 weeks and NO exercise using wrist at all. That wrist is still weaker than my right wrist, so I do occasionally still get problems. Its a super bummer being injured no matter what body part it is! I’m sure you can buy something to stabilize your wrist while working out, something more than just a bandage type thing so that it doesn’t hurt while working out or reinjure it.
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Jennifer February 14, 2014 at 7:46 pm

I’ve been nursing a back injury for months and I know I’ve used it as an excuse at times. Finally seeing a different chiropractor and things are looking up. I hope to be lifting again in a few more months!
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