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Hiking After a Sports Injury

Mountain Blog > Hiking After Injury

Posted by: Matthew Inouye
Posted on: January 12th, 2013

Returning to physical activity after a sports injury can be intimidating and challenging. Drawing from my own experience over the last few months, I have had the unfortunate luck of experiencing both a Stage 2 calf tear and a Type 3 shoulder separation. Fortunately, they did not happen at the same time and so I wasn't completely out of commission. Unfortunately, they happened back to back and while cycling on flat road only 25 km apart according to my odometer -- nothing dramatic or noteworthy as it happens but that meant some serious time away from normal activity. Getting back on the horse, especially when it comes to organized sports is daunting -- both because of having a literal handicap and being out of the game for so long. 

Start with Hiking

There are few activities where you can manage the intensity and technical difficultly yourself. Many sports such as hockey or football are "all or nothing" and easing into the sport is relatively challenging immediately following a sports injury. Hiking opens up a world of versatility from steep inclines or level ground, from walking to running or intervals and allows you to keep active throughout. As hiking can be a solo sport, it allows you to set your own pace and ramp up as your strength and mobility improves. Additionally, you can set milestones and experience reward and success similar to other activities allowing you to gradually introduce physical activity back into your daily life.

My first hike following the calf injury was the Grouse Grind. My time jumped a staggering 36 minutes from an average 39 minute Grind to 1 hour and 15 minutes. But even with a jaw-dropping difference, I was never more happy at the peak. Although I kept a slow pace, step by step cautiously working up the trail, the weeks of rehab paid off. Three months later and regular visits to my physiotherapist, Travis Dodds, I am nearing the 40 minute mark.

As I am gradually introducing more variety and trail jogging into my hikes, my cardio is slowly returning to normal. Also, my confidence in returning to other sports is improving. 


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