5 Tips to Aid Your Rehab Journey
1. Sleep
I cannot emphasize the importance of sleep. So often, our rehab potential can be hindered by inadequate sleep and/or improper sleep hygiene. Sleep is where all of the good stuff happens - tissue recovery, decreased inflammation, improved mood and memory, reduced stress, and more! If you are recovering from an injury, first prioritizing your sleep is key to your rehab journey and positive outcomes.
Things to know: A sleep cycle is about 90 minutes in duration. If you feel groggy when waking up in the morning it is likely because you are waking up in the middle of your sleep cycle. Aim for 7.5 or 9 hours of sleep to avoid this, giving yourself 15-30 minutes to actually fall asleep.
Poor sleep hygiene can also cause your well intentioned full night sleep to not do its job. Try avoiding any screens (phone, computer, TV) 30-60 minutes before bed, stop drinking caffeine by early afternoon at the latest, and get yourself into a routine to signal to your body that it’s time to wind down (this can be as simple as washing your face and brushing your teeth - it doesn’t have to be long to be effective)
2. Diet
What you put in your body impacts what your body has to aid in healing. I’m not saying you have to change your entire diet but I do encourage adding healthy options to each meal you eat. For example - if you are eating pizza for dinner can you eat one less slice and supplement that slice with a side salad? Can you be conscious of including fruits and vegetables in all meals? Can you limit sweets and alcohol to small portions? Small changes like this can have a huge impact on your rehab journey.
Foods that can help ease inflammation (not an exhaustive list):
Berries
Mushroom
Salmon
Spinach
Turmeric
Green tea
Ginger
3. Exercise
This is where we come in. In order to get your body back to doing what you love we have to train the tissue to adapt to these activities in a safe and progressive environment. At Atomic PT we will guide you every step of the way while giving you the tools to feel confident in your ability to get stronger and pain free.
Something else to consider in adjunct with your physical therapy rehab program is strengthening non-painful regions of your body. For example, if you have an injured shoulder, you can still go for walks or train body weight lower body activities. Increasing the blood flow with exercise increases healing and improves mood - which understandably can be impacted by your setback. Don’t worry, we will guide you on safe exercises to perform during this time to supplement your rehab program.
4. Mindfulness
I know, I know - mindfulness is a word that has been thrown around a ton over the last few years, but it’s for a good reason. It doesn’t have to be anything extreme (unless you want it to be), but can be as simple as going for a walk outside without music or your phone, eating without any external distractions, meditating to your favorite app or music, doing self-guided yoga paying attention to your body’s signals, etc. Mindfulness is, at its’ base, unplugging from the busy and chaotic world around you and tuning into yourself, whichever way works best for you. This break in the day decreases your nervous system activity and allows you to take a step back from any stressors you may be experiencing.
5. Breathing
My final tip for a successful rehab journey is to breathe. The reason breathing is such a prevalent part of the health and wellness space recently has to do largely with 1 nerve - the vagus nerve. This nerve, when activated, stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which acts in opposition to our fight or flight system (aka sympathetic nervous system). It is known that being in a state of chronic stress (such as a pesky injury that won’t improve) raises our cortisol levels and subsequently increases inflammation. If we can control our bodys’ ability to counteract that system just by consciously breathing, why wouldn’t we!?
There are a host of different ways to “breathe” but if you are overwhelmed by the options and want something simple try this:
Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, and breathe out through your mouth for 8 seconds (make sure you are counting a full Mississippi). Doing this throughout the day for 4-5 breaths will give you a mini reset and help control your stress and cortisol levels.
So there you have it. My top 5 tips to aid in your rehab journey. These tips are not exhaustive or exclusive but are simple and proven to be effective. Make sure you consider all of these components in your rehab journey!
