Maintaining Fitness While Injured

Tricia Hayton

As some of my clients know, I have registered to participate in a triathlon.   Just a tri-a-tri with distances that are good for a beginner like me.   I am dedicated to my training and have been very happy with the progress I was making.  Especially with running – I love swimming and cycling, but running is not now, nor has it ever been, an activity of choice for me.   Imagine my despair when I slipped on a hill and injured my foot.   Now a smart physio would have limped out of the ravine and called for a drive home.   But not me – I continued to run the 1.5 km home.   What was the result?  Crutches – and not a lot of sympathy from my coworkers for my misplaced tenacity

So now, here is the real question.  How do I maintain or continue to progress my training while dealing with an injury?

First, I took a couple of days rest.  Although fitness will decrease quickly with complete rest, healing was necessary.   Since I am training for a triathlon, swimming is an obvious first choice.     My ankle and foot quickly returned to full range-of-motion.  This is something that should be achieved before returning to any activity involving the injury.    If not, your technique will suffer, and you risk an injury to the compensating joint.   Now, I have already stated that I love to swim.  So, hitting the pool with a few extra laps of freestyle was not an issue for me.  But if you are not a swimmer, consider doing a leg only pattern to keep the legs strong and the heart rate high.   The other option is water running.   Holding a pool noodle under your arms, run through the water with the same mechanics as on land.   It is slow and arduous, but again your heart and lungs will work hard, while keeping the foot healing.

Next came cycling, which has been difficult this spring due to cold rainy days.  Due to this, my initial training happened on a stationary bike.   This was a good place to return.     Stationary bikes offer more control with intensity.   You can also stop if you notice symptoms returning.   This can be difficult to do if you are 1.5 km from home, but we won’t bring that up again.    Now the sun has come out and I have returned to cycling outside.   It is going well, but I was unpleasantly surprised how much work your foot does when you are out of the saddle.   This means that I plan my routes carefully.  I want to hit some hills so that I am increasing the workload of my training, without causing too much discomfort.  Slow gradual hills seem to be the answer.   Luckily in Halton Hills, these are easy to find. 

So, am I running again?  A little - very little.    I am running on grass and soft surfaces for short distances with the proper precautions including tape and bracing.  The good new is that my fitness is still on point.  Will I be able to complete my tri-a-tri?   I certainly hope so!   Stay tuned – race day is June 15th.  I will let you know.


Tricia Hayton is a Registered Physiotherapist and Partner at Physio Sport Med