Boom Bust Blog // Physiotherapist Madeleine Hicks

Are You A Boom-Buster?

What is your relationship with pain? Is it a healthy one? Do you respect each other? Or do you try and ignore pain even when it is screaming at you to listen? 

…You may be a boom buster.

A boom buster is usually strong and determined, hardworking, often equipped with a “no pain, no gain” mentality. They push through, grit their teeth, and try to distract themselves from the pain, spike their activities in a boom of energy, until all of a sudden they reach a point where it becomes unbearable and they just cannot continue. And they bust. This may have long-lasting effects where you become out of action for days or weeks at a time. 

This is incredibly common in high achievers, perfectionists, energetic go-getter’s. 

Sound familiar?

Acknowledging pain is important, and avoiding it does not work. Let’s help you find that sweet spot where you can continue doing the things you love, without delaying your recovery.

1. THESE THINGS TAKE TIME

For many of us in the performance industry, niggles and injuries are inevitable. It’s important that when this does happen that we respect the injury, which may mean modifying what we are currently doing. This is often easier said than done when performing is part of your career, however the supportive people around you will work together to ensure this niggle doesn’t evolve into an ongoing injury. 

It may be frustrating at times when you feel like you have been making progress, and then there is a step backwards. These backwards steps, or flare-ups as we like to call them, are not ideal. BUT they are manageable. These things take time. Backwards, sideways and forwards steps are all part of the journey (sounds a bit like a line dance doesn’t it?). Celebrate the little wins and work towards a long-term goal.

2. PACE YOURSELF

This is where we come in. We are experts in ‘load management’ and will work with you and your goals to find that sweet spot where you are progressing without overloading. As mentioned earlier, we will work to increase your capacity so that it can cope with the demands of your life. This may initially require a period of trial and error to work out what your baseline is and what your body can cope with. Load management may involve manual therapy on ‘overloaded’ structures or strengthening your body in the form of classes, one-on-one sessions, or in a home exercise program. We can also create a plan together for what you should and should not do out of the clinic in your own time and communicate with any third parties involved if needed. 

3. DO IT RIGHT, ONCE

It’s tempting to push yourself when on the surface you are feeling OK. We also understand that the performance industry is physically demanding and intense. Which is the exact reason why a full and complete rehab once will produce the best results in the long-term. 

Remember that most of the time we get injured because our bodies do not have the capacity to deal with the demand placed in front of us. We need to work on improving the body’s capacity before increasing the demand. This is the secret to a full recovery. 

If you are experiencing persistent pain or injury then come in to see our team, so we can establish your current capacity and set up a plan to reach your goals and return to 100%.

Physiotherapist Madeleine Hicks
P: 03 9686 2373
E: [email protected]