strained or sprained forarm & back muscle

clobgobbler started this discussion · 7/22/2009

I'm frustrated because I've strained my forarm & back by my shoulders(trying my inverts I do believe) Should I work through the pain or give it a rest? I'm afraid to give it more than a days rest because I will lose the strenth I've built up on the pole...what to do..will it just get better eventually? It hurts but I can work through it...should I? Thanks for any thoughts...

5 replies

yogabeachbabe · 7/22/2009
PLEASE REST! A lot of us here at StudioVeena have gotten back/intercostal/shoulder injuries and can tell you that if you want to continue progressing safely, rest the injury! The consequences of "working through it" might sideline you for a lot longer than it takes to heal the original booboo. When I first started learning, I did tons of inverts when I wasn't ready for them and ended up not being able to do anything for almost 7 months. It got so bad that sometimes deep breathing hurt. I know it's frustrating (believe me, I know!), but maybe you can focus on transitions or floorwork for the time being. There's another thread here called "What next?" that you might want to peek at--there's a lot of important stuff that you could practice before going back to inverts.
clobgobbler · 7/22/2009
thanks...not what I wanted to hear but figured... actually my forarm is giving me the most problem right now-when I pull myself up or spin...which is pretty much everything ehhh 🏴‍☠️
RoxyPink · 7/22/2009
layoff of the forearm also....are you trying split grip spins (carousel, spinning V)??? Many people injure this area when they are trying to do splits grips and they aren't ready for them. They take lots of strength and felxibility in the arm. INjuries to the back can becaused from doing inverts when you aren't strong enough but also from trying to jump into inverts. Inverts should always be lifted into using the abs. Please rest your injuries and becareful when you get back at it! Think...slow and controlled! 😀
kasanya · 7/22/2009
I know it sucks, but it's really important to take enough time off when you're hurt! It's better to miss a couple days of practicing than to miss a couple months because you've aggravated a minor injury into a major problem. The typical formula for treating an injury is RICE --> Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. Those will all help to reduce inflammation and allow an injury to heal faster. Rest doesn't necessarily mean you have to completely stop being active though, as yogabeachbabe pointed out. Depending on the type of injury, there may be things you can work on that won't strain your injured area. For example, since you mentioned this, if your injury is primarily focused in one forearm, this might be a good time to practice doing spins using your other arm. This is actually what I ended up doing! I injured my right shoulder (and I'm right handed), so I ended up working on all my spins left handed for a couple weeks. I'm really good on my non-dominant hand now! 😂 Best of luck with the injury, and try try try to resist the temptation to get back on your pole before your body is ready!
Veena · 7/22/2009
Rest for sure if its a strain or sprain! Once your feeling better do some light strength training exercise and stretching then work up to pole dance slowly. Always remember to warm up your fingers, wrist and shoulders before beginning you pole dancing. Then be sure to stretch AFTER your dancing. If you have my lessons I include a warm up that shows you how to warm up properly. 🌸 Hope you feel better soon. Sometimes it only takes a few day to feel better, just be sure to take it slow once you do. 😀