When Injury Strikes

Well, it finally happened. The thing that every fitness professional dreads…

I hurt my lower back lifting something heavy. 😣

The good news is, it’s been several weeks and I’m almost back to normal. The not-so-good news is that no amount of deadlifting or mobility training could have prevented this injury from occurring. I was completely caught off guard!

Here’s how it happened:

I was helping out at a local event and one of the organizer’s needed a hand carrying a big, overstuffed box to her car. Tired and in a rush to get out of there, we each haphazardly grabbed a side and began shuffling our way towards the parking lot. We were just a few steps away from her car when her grip gave out. I was walking backwards when the sudden weight shift jerked my torso forward and twisted me to the left. I managed to hold on until she repositioned, which in hindsight, was not the best idea.

The next morning as I went to get out of bed I felt the strain immediately. I started to panic. “Oh no! I have to teach class tomorrow. What am I going to do?” I sat there for a few moments trying to figure out my next steps. Fortunately, I was not in a lot of pain, but I could tell I was on the precipice of something much worse if I didn’t watch my every move. 

I played it safe for a few weeks, only doing gentle, easy exercise (mostly walking, cycling, and mobility) and I asked for help when I needed to lift or move anything heavy. I made sure not to sit for long periods of time, knowing that lack of movement coupled with spinal compression would only make things worse. I am super grateful the injury was minor and that I was able to recover so quickly!

If I had not been training consistently prior to that day, I honestly think this injury would have been way worse. It was a good reminder that while injuries cannot always be prevented, there is still a lot we can do to mitigate them. And strength training is the ultimate strategy for increasing your body’s resilience while minimizing the severity of an unavoidable injury.

I know, I know…”injury-mitigation” isn’t the most glamorous or exciting reason to workout, but it has become one of my top motivators for prioritizing the training that I do. I want to be able to trust my body, especially as I get older. And like this box situation taught me, you never know what will get thrown your way, but you can still prepare for it.