Disclaimer Bro's: Always consult your doctor before any health-related decisions. I'm not a doctor, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express one time.
Here are my thoughts when determining how to modify training around an injury:
1. Assess the injury.
Was there every any bruising or signs of bleeding or a tear?
Do you still have a full range of motion relative to motions involving the injury?
2. Rest the injured area.
Take a little time off (one month or two). See how it responds. In the meantime, you can still train in ways that do not stress the injured area. For example, if you have a shoulder injury, you can still train you lower body like normal. Therefore, take a break from most upper-body exercises.
3. Get some work done.
See a chiropractor or physical therapist and look into getting some deep-tissue therapy or active -release therapy. Most issues require multiple sessions, so be patient. You will see results in most cases.
A knowledgeable therapist will also be able to evaluate the possibility of muscular imbalances that may have contributed to the problem. If this is the case, determine a corrective plan to improve the imbalance.
4. Consider getting some imaging done.
If the injury hasn't improved with the extended time off, then you probably need to have a doctor review an x-ray and/or MRI of the injured area to determine if any major injuries have occurred. Ask the doctor about rehabilitation recommendations.
If you get a clean bill of health after the imaging results, then you might want to consider proceeding cautiously into your normal routine. Sometimes improving muscular imbalances with a plan of deep-tissue therapy are required to rehab the injury over an extended period of time.
Related Articles:
Active Release Techniques for Strength Athletes
Clint Smith: How Does Paul Key Bench?
