Working Out With Injured Trapezius: My Weekly Fitness Routine
Working out with an injury is extremely frustrating. Some days it hurts, some days it doesn’t. Other times, the injured muscle doesn’t hurt until I overdo it when exercising. By working with a personal trainer, I’ve found a few different exercises I can do without aggravating my injury.
My main goal is to maintain or lose weight. Since I work at a desk all day, I know it’s important for me to get up and walk around and socialize to prevent the many health issues that can come with a sedentary lifestyle.
Practically speaking, it’s very important that I can keep up with my friends when hiking or walking in the woods. I get together with friends and do this once per month, but need to work out between hikes to make sure I can keep up. Having a specific monthly goal helps me to stick to a light fitness routine.
My weekly workout involves:
Walking outside: Twice daily, 15 minutes per walk
Intense walking on treadmill: Twice weekly, 35 or more minutes per walk
Stretching: Daily, even on off workout days, 5 minutes per day
Video games: Goal of twice per week, 30 minutes per session
Walking Outside
I go for two short walks outside each day (less than a quarter mile). I have a large dog who requires long walks, so this benefits both his health and mine. We avoid morning and evening hours when people are going to work or coming home-that way, he doesn’t pull the leash and aggravate my injury.
Walking at the Gym
Nasty weather, allergies, a sick dog: these are three excuses I have made for not wanting to walk outside. Now that I have an inexpensive gym membership, these excuses no longer work. I head to the gym and walk on the treadmill several times per week, especially when the weather is bad.
My personal trainer advised that I walk only on the treadmill and outside: no jogging or running. These activities aggravate my injury. When my trapezius is already aggravated, I exercise just to get my body moving and my metabolism going for the day. When it’s not, I walk rigorously on an incline at the gym, making sure my heart rate goes up and calories get burned.
Because I have limitations due to my injury, my personal trainer explained that personalizing my workout is essential to my success.
Video games offer customized workouts. Specifically, I enjoy using the Wii Fit and its balance board. This allows me to strengthen my core muscles without intense activities. Other games that help me stay in shape include My Fitness Coach and Kinect Adventures.
Specifically, I use yoga routines on Wii Fit. I’ve found that even beginner classes ask students to perform tasks and positions too strenuous for my injured area. I have learned what I can and cannot do; this allows me to build a routine on the Wii Fit that stretches my injured muscle without hurting it.
While I don’t play these games weekly, I should include them in my routine, especially if I need to work out when the gym is closed.
Stretching
I do not work out every day of the week. On days I don’t, stretching is still essential due to my injury. I stretch my neck in the shower by gently turning it under hot water (as instructed by my chiropractor) and perform several self-aligning stretches. Using a pull-up bar, I hang a few inches above the ground to straighten my back.
These stretches take only a few seconds and decrease the chance of a pulled muscle or the reappearance of chronic pain.
Because my injury isn’t visible, people think I’m just making it up or that it isn’t as bad as I say. In reality, it’s usually worse than I express. However, I continue to work out as best I can to avoid succumbing to the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle.
Author’s Note: I am not a physician or personal trainer. Please consult a medical professional before exercising, especially if you have an injury.
