Fighting depression during an injury

[InASenseLost]

I posted awhile back about a problem i was having with my elbow. Well that problems gone now, but now im having more trouble with my forearm.

But its put me out of the gym. With the elbow problem i could only do a limited amount of lower body, which i took as much advantage of as possible, and hit my best squat ever.

But now, i cant do aaaanything. And im depressed as hell. Im scared its not going away. Ive never had an injury like this before. But its been a month and a half of no upper body whatsoever. And now better than two weeks of absolutely nothing. Im losing my damn mind. Putting on weight, not sleeping well, depressed, irritable. I dont know what i can do. Anyone else have problems like this? What do you do?

[jetlynk]

I posted awhile back about a problem i was having with my elbow. Well that problems gone now, but now im having more trouble with my forearm.

But its put me out of the gym. With the elbow problem i could only do a limited amount of lower body, which i took as much advantage of as possible, and hit my best squat ever.

But now, i cant do aaaanything. And im depressed as hell. Im scared its not going away. Ive never had an injury like this before. But its been a month and a half of no upper body whatsoever. And now better than two weeks of absolutely nothing. Im losing my damn mind. Putting on weight, not sleeping well, depressed, irritable. I dont know what i can do. Anyone else have problems like this? What do you do?

Hey man, during the course of my training I had to take a whole week off for this weird neck thing and it drove me nuts. So I can't really imagine what a month would do to me. However you haven't lost the drive to do it, just the ability which is awesome. This is my fear, not being able to do it and not picking back up. Glad to see you haven't lost it. Now as for what you can and can't do, are you able to do cardio with running and biking to build on endurance? If you keep up with a good diet that will keep the fat build up down and also make you less depressed, especially if your taking in alot of sugars at give you a nice pick me up and then leave you crashing. Weight training wise if you go to a gym there my be ways of working around your injury. Leg curls and extensions don't absolutely require forearm strength. Just need to look into what you can and can't do. I mean this guy is able to do it with half his arms missing.


Just don't give in and give up, the frame my be a little loose from disrepair but the foundation you've built will stay strong, waiting for you to return.

[InASenseLost]

Thats all i really know to do is try to do cardio or abs if i can. But i want to be in there shooting for new PRs and hitting it as hard as i can. I almost feel like itd be worse being in there and seeing everyone else doing it. But ive got to do something. Ive put on 15 pounds and thats pissing me off too. And i was eating a lot of sweets, but ive stopped that now.

Im just so frustrated. I cant lift, cant play guitar, can barely work. It even hurts to play xbox for very long. This sucks.

[jetlynk]

Thats all i really know to do is try to do cardio or abs if i can. But i want to be in there shooting for new PRs and hitting it as hard as i can. I almost feel like itd be worse being in there and seeing everyone else doing it. But ive got to do something. Ive put on 15 pounds and thats pissing me off too. And i was eating a lot of sweets, but ive stopped that now.

Im just so frustrated. I cant lift, cant play guitar, can barely work. It even hurts to play xbox for very long. This sucks.

Things could always be worse, I can see why your getting frustrated but your still doing more then half of the rest of the people in the world. Thou the end of your distress does not seem to be in sight know that it will end eventually, sucks there probably isn't much you can do other then let time heal the wound, but stressing over it will do nothing but prolong the process longer. Need to relax more and let your body do it's job. I've had more injuries in my life time then I can count, I even wiped out so bad in on a bike one summer on a mountain they were calling me "The Mummy" but I got better and I got stronger. Your not dieing anytime soon, your only 25 so you have ample time to build up and get stronger, take life's hurdles in stride and you will come out of this stronger willed and determined more then you've ever been. Just a little tidbit not sure if you've tried taking some already, but Advil extra strength is Golden during times like this.

[jam88]

I too am finally recovering from an elbow injury that lasted about 2 months, 1.5 of those months with no gym at all. At some points I had my doubt that it would ever heal because it was just taking so damn long with no noticeable improvement. But it will get better and you will get back to 100%. The body is amazing at healing itself.

What i kept telling myself was that recovery was part of my progress to achieving my overall goals. It was just another obstacle that i had to beat, so i gave it my full attention, and kept my diet in check which was very important imo.

Injury part of bodybuilding and most people will have to go through it at least once, so dont feel too bad.

[InASenseLost]

I too am finally recovering from an elbow injury that lasted about 2 months, 1.5 of those months with no gym at all. At some points I had my doubt that it would ever heal because it was just taking so damn long with no noticeable improvement.

THIS is whats weighing on me for sure. Ive just never had an injury like this before. Sure ive been hurt, but nothing like this. Nothing where i just flat cant function normally for soooo long. Its driving me up the wall. Im just scared is all i think. /:

[Sash22]

Thats all i really know to do is try to do cardio or abs if i can. But i want to be in there shooting for new PRs and hitting it as hard as i can. I almost feel like itd be worse being in there and seeing everyone else doing it. But ive got to do something. Ive put on 15 pounds and thats pissing me off too. And i was eating a lot of sweets, but ive stopped that now.

Im just so frustrated. I cant lift, cant play guitar, can barely work. It even hurts to play xbox for very long. This sucks.

You can lose 15 pounds with cardio now, prepares you for when you recover so you can get back to besting your PRs and getting swole without worrying about unwanted mass. You'll probably recover quicker if you maintain a healthy diet throughout any injury and mix it up with some cardio

inb4 broscience

[WarWithWeakness]

1: You can heal almost anything that might happen to you. - I know the only word in that sentence you see is "almost", but it's there more for the recognition that if your arm actually gets amputated or something, maybe rehabbing it isn't going to work.
Seriously, rest, progressive rehab, ****loads of protein and anti-inflammatories, and lots of stretching and you can overcome huge obstacles. Don't let your mind work against you though, stay positive and dedicated, the human body is an amazing thing, and sadly most people never figure out just how good at adapting it is. Give it time, and effort, and you will come out on top.

2: A couple of months is nothing. Stop overeating, or you will cause a problem for yourself, but other than that, this time off wont be a major obstacle for you. Be patient and stop looking at **** like you're the impulsive, emotional, short-sighted dumbass we all become too much of the time.

3: This injury will make you stronger, if you use it. Learn from it.
Learn how to rehab similar injuries. Learn about your arms and how they work. Experience what you can come back from, and how long it takes, you will better understand how much punishment your body can actually take (most likely, more than you think). Start doing all of the stuff you don't normally make time for, but know you should be doing, start with stretching more.
It's our pain that toughens our bodies and minds; don't waste the experience.

[jetlynk]

THIS is whats weighing on me for sure. Ive just never had an injury like this before. Sure ive been hurt, but nothing like this. Nothing where i just flat cant function normally for soooo long. Its driving me up the wall. Im just scared is all i think. /:

So many of us have been in those shoes before, scared and not know when or if you would recover. Thing is your arm hasn't fallen off, so you don't have to grow a new one. It just need to recover, as I said that weird thing I had with my neck, I wasn't sure what was wrong with me, I couldn't sit down or stand up without it feeling like someone pulling something out of my neck and chest. If I lifted something heavy same thing and when I tried going for a run it felt like I had 2 golf balls lodged in the throat. Man I though I was dieing, but I went to see the doctor and was told it was just probably an after effect of training while I had a bad cold (wont do that again). Like I said man, I've been injured more then I can count, more then 8 dislocations in both my knees and I'm still standing stronger then I've ever been. To put my life in perspective my parents were surprised I made it to age 18. You will heal, you will get threw this and you WILL be stronger mentally because of it.

[Rubberducky27]

Thought I'd register and jump on board to throw some encouragement your way.

The injury will heal if you let it. And when you get back into the gym never forget the feeling of not being able to train. It makes you stronger, it makes you harder, it just doesn't help much to read about that right now.

Take the advice to do what you can, focus on building your cardio or something to have a short term goal whilst you get over the injury. If you can't work out, devote that gym time to reading and building your knowledge on nutrition or another interest. You need to keep your mind busy, the brain is like a car battery, it charges by being used, and it will drain you to do nothing and find yourself missing the gym.

I broke my hand boxing, 4 weeks of nothing, then 4 weeks of just running morning and night before being able to lift again. I now look back on the injury as a blessing. For 6 weeks I thought it would never heal, was tempted to just try, but I did as I was told, took up yoga and meditated more, now every gym session has a different intensity. I realise more than ever how much better I eat, sleep, work from the gym.

Injuries do heal, they take time, but they heal. And when it's healed you'll look back ion 6-12 weeks as a massive rest period. Do whatever you can do without risking the arm at all and good luck with it all mate.

[InASenseLost]

Arm is feeling somewhat better today. Still inflamed, but I dont need advil but maybe twice a day. usually right when I get up and at the end of the day. Got 5 days left of the medication. Still chomping at the bit to get back. A lot of my friends are gym rats too, so theyve been talking about their progress, and I'm sitting here going nuts, lol. infuriating! Oh well. I'll get back to it soon and show em whats up.

[pxcr600]

I can relate. I just had foot surgery last November. The doc said I would be out only 3 weeks. 3 weeks came and went and I was at a stale mate. I wasn't recovering and even regressing.

I evaluated my situation and decided that I needed to take action. I went to a different doctor who made a recovery plan with me. I stuck to the plan and kept a journal of my progress everyday. It ended up taking me 8 weeks to recover... during this time I could hardly workout.

My advise would be to go straight to the doctor and get a plan for recovery set in place. Stick to the plan and do everything the doctor tells you to including rehab, etc. Go out and buy a notebook and at the end of EVERY day make a short journal entry about your overall thoughts. Note how you felt, any increases or decreases in pain, etc.

Eventually you WILL heal. The purpose of the journal is to be able to visually see your progress. When one can see the progress you will never loose hope. The most important thing is to keep your eye on the future. Remember it is a marathon and not a sprint and these things take time. Reflect every week on the past journal entries and you will see small victories. This will keep you motivated.

Good luck

[alex2363]

thats how i gained 50 plus pounds in last 2 years. but now im smarter and knw how to fight it, just finfd alternative workouts. i been working out wth a bad cold, i never did that before. i also ran outside in 14 degree weather with a cold...just dont give in. the mind is your most strongest tool.

[gymcandykid]

I had to take 5 weeks of straight with no types of lifting just to let my body heal after something happened to my left tricep and my right rib cage.. I just knew that taking time off now would benefit me more rather than working through it. It was literally torture especially when people would be talking about lifting or asking me about my lifting or even saying I was getting smaller. It was horrible but I took that time and studied 2-3 hours a night sometimes to educate myself on perfecting form with the big compound movements and properly warming up my muscles for the work ahead... Now i just hit my highest maxes yet and i'm back at it better/stronger than ever!

[InASenseLost]

Goin back to the doctor Wednesday. Hopefully to be referred to someone a bit more specialized than the one in the clinic. Finished up the prednisone today, and it's still hurtin.
Better than before, but still not to where I need it to be. Still cant work or lift. Still drivin me up the wall.

[Fearlessbanana]

I realize this post was from 2011 but I ruptered my 5 and 7; lower back and I haven't been able to train for about a week now and I've been feeling really depressed and have noticed me gaining more fat and losing muscle already. This thread was really motivating.

[JustinRideout]

I feel better reading this thread

[HIM888]

LMAO @ weeks

11 months off due to bilateral tfcc tears. Probably 4-5 more months to go.

[Brock829]

LMAO @ weeks

11 months off due to bilateral tfcc tears. Probably 4-5 more months to go.

thought id comment on this oldish thread. i feel for ya big time, i tore my labrum in my shoulder. I cant lift for about 8-9 months if i get surgery. so many people have had the surgery and they are wrose off than before, idk what to do. i have doctors telling me different things and its killing me, havent lifted for about 2 months and probably many more to go. the thought that i might not be able to do my normal lifts scares me, i work harder than anyone i know and want it more than i know. the doctors originally misdiagnosed me and i did pt for something i probably/hopefully dont have. im issing my senior year of baseball and im the captain. it could be worse tho, but this sucks. its so depressing.

[JohnSmeton]

I posted awhile back about a problem i was having with my elbow. Well that problems gone now, but now im having more trouble with my forearm.

But its put me out of the gym. With the elbow problem i could only do a limited amount of lower body, which i took as much advantage of as possible, and hit my best squat ever.

But now, i cant do aaaanything. And im depressed as hell. Im scared its not going away. Ive never had an injury like this before. But its been a month and a half of no upper body whatsoever. And now better than two weeks of absolutely nothing. Im losing my damn mind. Putting on weight, not sleeping well, depressed, irritable. I dont know what i can do. Anyone else have problems like this? What do you do?

Do hamstrings one day, quads another day , abs and calves another day, cardio other days. I injured my upper body in 2008 and had to take a full year off and that's what I did. Do what you can

[itsali91]

Man I am having the same issue

I injured my right shoulder, so i stopped shoulders for 2 weeks but i kept training upper body, then it got worse and worse so I decided to go to a doctor and a physiotherapist to expedite the healing process, all the pills and creams are useless. with time I focused on my lower body and abs, I was so motivated for my legs that both of my knees hurt me now cuz I went too hard on them.

then I started focusing on cardio and that's when my shin splint started to appear, and in a weird way, my other shoulder is now hurting cuz i was using it for daily activities.

so now I am going to the gym, walking around, kidding myself here and there doing nothing (much like the people I used to mock before). watching all the others lift and show off and I am staring from a distance unable to do SH!T. I hate them all and it's depressing AF ! it's been 2 months and I don't see myself getting any better not until a few more months. meanwhile I am trying to stop eating my feelings.

Everyone keeps saying it will take 6 - 12 months which kills me from the inside. hang in there. you are not alone!

[theboy133]

Ouch that hurts.

[rel83]

Best thing I recommend is to listen to your body and let it heal before going back to your normal routine. I was going to the gym 6 days a week for 2.5hrs a day, got into a motorcycle accident, broke my collarbone, road rash, etc. It sucked, I tried going back a couple of days after the accident for light treadmill cardio but was too scare I'd fall so I quit and became lazy, eventually bone healed up and little by little I got back into my routine and have been doing so ever since that accident.

[yoojungl]

Sorry to hear what happened, but your main priority should be to recover and allow your body enough time to heal~

Take it easy and don't be so hard on yourself. I know injuries are hard to overcome, but you got this!!