Manage Your Rehab Like You Are Colouring In

“I want you to think about your pain like a colouring-in picture.”

Imagine this is your current capacity. (and sorry to belabour the point, it's for a purpose). This is one of the best analogies I've used with my clients, and I've been expanding on it and feel like I've finally got to a point where it needs it's own blog.

When we are learning to colour - we aren't always that flash at making it look like it's supposed to. But the news flash is that learning is pretty messy and it's fine to go outside the lines. The same with rehab. But when it's rehab, it's about increasing discomfort rather than drawing outside the lines. And with rehab, going outside the lines, and increased pain is a data point - and while it's ok to have occasional bumps in pain, this is information to work with.

Knowing where you flare - this is the point to work under. And this is where we get back to colouring in. Around the outside of the lines is the point where things start getting too grumpy — where you're getting more than about 2 out of 10 discomfort, or you're noticing that what you're doing is leaving you more sore afterwards and it might not be back to normal tomorrow.

Now, a lot of people think that if they've got pain, they need to stay right in the middle.

So they do hardly anything.

But that's not what I want you to do.

I want you to colour in as much of the picture as you possibly can.

BUT - Work inside your current tolerance. Stay inside the lines, AND still, do a lot. Note the things that bother you - these are the "lines" (and the data is how much, how often and how hard the activity is, and the type of activity.)

Move.

Exercise.

Live your life.

And please, try not to repeatedly go over the edge. Because consistent volume is how we can progress and get back to doing more and having a bigger life. Consistent volume, even if it's not hard exercise, builds tolerance and capacity in your system - not just the tissues, but the system as a whole.

Because we know that doing too much can flare things up — and when you're repeatedly flaring yourself up, it can make it harder to build your capacity consistently.

And consistency matters.

Now, your colouring-in picture might be pretty bloody small to start with.

It's actually normal to have a change in capacity when you start out. Otherwise you would not be starting again.

Maybe today you can walk for ten minutes (in total, in blocks of 1 min (and your eyes can roll, I KNOW this is frustrating, but I see it working)

Maybe you can do one set of an exercise. (I know you think you can do more, but DON’T)

Maybe you can stand for five minutes. (total, NOT in a row, or in a row, a few times a day, honestly, this is all just examples I've seen in the past week, I can't actually see you now).

Wherever you are - that's your picture right now.

Your job isn't to make the picture bigger overnight. (Because you are starting small and progressing)

Your job is to consistently colour in the picture you've got.

And as you get stronger, fitter and more confident, that picture can get bigger. (and don't worry, if you overestimate the lines, we have strategies, and I always expect a flare up for my clients in treatment. It's normal and totally fine, we are all human, doing the best we can with what we have.)

You'll be able to do more. You end up owning the space you have. Your body begins to build tolerance and capacity. You can add things to your life.

Now, what happens if you go over the edge?

You flare up.

That doesn't necessarily mean you've damaged yourself.

It's a data point.

It's your body giving you information:

“That was a bit more than I could tolerate right now.”

So instead of going:

“I've stuffed it. (or similar less suitable for children language) I can't do anything.”

You go:

“Okay. That was too much. I can’t do that YET. What can I change? What do I know from this?"

But there is always a strategy.

Maybe you reduce the amount.

Maybe you reduce the intensity.

Maybe you give yourself a little more recovery.

The movement may have been too technical or just too hard.

so you drop back, find baseline

then you build again.

Because the goal isn't to live inside a tiny little colouring-in picture forever. (I want you to live a BIG life, but sometimes we have to drop back to feel better).

The goal is to gradually make the colouring-in picture bigger and more complex. What this means, is that your function will increase, your capacity will increase - but not if you keep going outside of the lines.

If you are stuck and can’t get past going over the lines, please know you aren’t the only person to feel this way.If it’s been more than a week, and it’s starting to eat into your life, please try going smaller before you “go hard or go home”. And, if you really are battling, get in touch with me (or your favourite provider) for a 1:1 booking.