Hi friends,

Setbacks are frustrating but oftentimes inevitable when recovering from injury. Everyone encounters them, and understanding how to respond is crucial.

Here’s what not to do—freak out and spiral into despair.

Understand that injury flare-ups happen when you're testing your body's limits. To get stronger, you must push yourself, which sometimes means experiencing increased pain if you push your body too hard.

Progress is rarely linear. Injury rehab has peaks and valleys, but the overall trajectory trends upward. Good and bad weeks are part of the journey.

Recently, my knee pain—which was improving—had a major flare-up. My initial thoughts were "I've wasted all my progress." “How could this happen?” But I reminded myself that setbacks are normal and that I need to stay calm.

It's challenging to stay patient when progress seems to disappear; however, knowing how to handle a flare-up can prevent negative spiraling.

Contrary to old advice, complete rest isn't the answer. Inactivity weakens tissues and can erase rehabilitation progress.

The key is finding safe movements that you can perform with minimal pain.

For example, if your knee pain increases with squats, I won’t tell you to keep squatting. Instead, we'll test alternative exercises like bridging, hip hinging, or partial squats with lighter weights, gradually working back to full depth.

When you have a flare-up, you must identify the underlying cause and devise a plan to prevent future occurrences. Was it too much volume? Load? Improper mechanics? A physical therapist can help pinpoint the underlying issue, and I’d recommend seeing one if you’ve been dealing with a chronic injury that isn’t getting better.

I'll end with a saying I picked up from one of my mentors Jake Perotto when working with patients experiencing setbacks: "It's just a small setback for a huge comeback." Remember to zoom out and look at the big picture.

Until next week,

Kevin

✍️ Quote I’m reflecting upon

“There is good in everything if only we look for it.”

— Laura Ingalls Wilder

❤️ Things I’m enjoying

1. Life Hack - Scheduling boredom in my day. All you need is a phone and internet connection, and you’ll be able to be entertained for most of your life. Bringing boredom back into my life has opened me up to new ideas and solutions that I haven’t had time to fully process in my conscious mind.

2. Podcast - “How to Get Out of a Rut, Pain, and Boredom, and Knowing When to Quit.” This podcast gives great insight into knowing when it’s time to shake things up and change paths and when you just need to put your nose down and grind it out.

3. Song - “Where You Are” by John Summit & Hayla.