Training through an injury

**The Question** · Posted On: 11/30/2007 2:49pm

How do you decide whether to train through an injury, to take it easy during training, or to not train at all? Ideally one would like to see a physio every time, but what if that's not practical since little injuries and aches and pains pop up all the time?

**PirateJon** · Posted On: 11/30/2007 3:05pm

My rule was pain = light or rest and soreness = man up.

**meataxe** · Posted On: 11/30/2007 5:26pm

Realistically, nobody can tell you how bad it should hurt before you need to quit training and get help. (I'm talking borderline here, not obvious fractures, tears etc.) It would be nice if it was possible to know ahead of time. What you need is experience. You can only get the experience by training too hard, making an injury worse and learning from your mistake. Admit it... until you get one of *those* injuries, you're not going to listen to anyone.

**RunningDog** · Posted On: 11/30/2007 6:18pm

I carried on training through a ripped knee ligament, until it actually ruptured. Although I've had to take 2 years off all contact sports, I'll be better off in the end, as my knee will be stronger than before it ripped.
Moral: DESTROY YOURSELF IT IS GOOD FOR YOU

**The Question** · Posted On: 12/03/2007 2:37pm

Originally Posted by RunningDog

I carried on training through a ripped knee ligament, until it actually ruptured. Although I've had to take 2 years off all contact sports, I'll be better off in the end, as my knee will be stronger than before it ripped.
Moral: DESTROY YOURSELF IT IS GOOD FOR YOU

Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. How did you manage to train with a ripped ligament in you knee? Didn't it hurt a lot?

**RunningDog** · Posted On: 12/03/2007 3:48pm

Originally Posted by The Question

Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. How did you manage to train with a ripped ligament in you knee? Didn't it hurt a lot?

Most of the time it was ok, but if I had to put any kind of twisting pressure on it, it didn't have the stability to hold together, and I'd get sharp stabbing pain, quite severe.
It especially hurt when the ACL finally snapped, and my knee filled up with blood inside.

**Bahuyuddha** · Posted On: 12/04/2007 1:25am

Originally Posted by RunningDog

Most of the time it was ok, but if I had to put any kind of twisting pressure on it, it didn't have the stability to hold together, and I'd get sharp stabbing pain, quite severe.
It especially hurt when the ACL finally snapped, and my knee filled up with blood inside.

Ah, yeah I think I was better off just having my ACL tear completely the first time I injured it. I had a friend who trained on a partially torn ACL. He was fine most of the time like you, but it would start to hurt pretty bad whenever he trained hard. This went on for a couple years before it eventually tore completely. Eventually if you keep pushing it, it's gonna tear.

RunningDog, you had to take two years off from all contact sports? Damn. I guess I lucked out with only one year off. I gave it 6 months of rest and PT, and eased back into training (Kung Fu at the time) gradually for another 6 months. After one year, it felt like it was pretty much back to normal. It still gives me a little trouble every now and again (mostly just soreness). The surgery was about 6 yeras ago. However, today while sparring I came down on it funny (it kinda buckled to the inside). Initially I felt a sharp pain which lessened over a few minutes, and for an hour or so my knee joint just felt "loose". Don't know any other way to describe it. There was no swelling that I could tell, so I think it's just a bruise. I've been icing it, taking ibuprofen, and I'll be wearing a knee brace for a couple weeks while training just to be safe.

Don't mess around with your knees if you think you might have a torn ligament. I agree with you, The Question, see another doctor if you can manage it. Also, go easy on the training until you find out definitively what the problem is.

Good luck.