158: Injury and Recovery

Reflections on injury and rehabilitation.

25 May 2025 — 3 min read

Due to injury, age, illness, or time,
we all someday lose function.
If we are lucky to live long lives, our bodies require adaptation and care.

It is only when we lose the skills related to our activities of daily living that we recognize them as precious, fragile, essential - foundational to life.

Last year, I did a lot of rehab for an injury. It confirmed many of my exercise beliefs.

It also opened some new perspectives.

Rehab involves tradeoffs and tensions

Training in the presence of injury means making progress while acknowledging risks and limitations. It is a balance between challenge and safety. Sparking growth while minimizing injury or discouragement. Finding a "just right" challenge, every day.

The world narrows before it expands

In a crisis, life becomes simple: Survive, keep going, do the next small thing. Re-entering regular life? This part is slower, more complex, and surprisingly difficult.

Being helped can be hard

It is hard to ask for and accept help, especially as a man. It can bruise your ego, or make you feel less capable. But it also turns out to be weirdly connective. People show up. You can learn to receive help gracefully - which is its own kind of strength.

There is no "getting back"

You cannot ever return to the body you once had. This can be sad, but also freeing. The self isn't static or fixed - it's iterative. We are constantly changing.

Learning requires repetition, rest, failure, and play

Children are great learners. Everything we learn from kids should apply to adults. Kids often learn a lot from what doesn't work. But the frustration can be hard.

Healing happens between humans

The presence of others - kindness, humor, curiosity - can be even more powerful than any specific therapy or technique. Healing is communal, never solitary.

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