Three Ways You’re Going to Hurt Yourself After the Pandemic

Posted on August 19, 2021

Thirty-four-year-old construction professional Caleb Veldhouse considers himself an active guy. The former college athlete and his kids spend a lot of time together outside. His job keeps him on the move. He works out. But during a February city-league basketball game, with just five minutes to go, something went wrong.

“As I jumped up for an uncontested rebound, it felt like someone slapped me in the leg with a two-by-four.”

Seconds later, Caleb went down on the court—hard—and he realized that no one had touched him. He had, in fact, ruptured his Achilles tendon, an injury that has taken months to heal. The incident took place on the tail end of a stretch of time when many in South Dakota had placed themselves in relative isolation, and about a month after Caleb experienced his own COVID-19 diagnosis.

Let’s face it: Most of us aren’t former college athletes and we’re not in great physical shape, like Caleb is. If an injury such as this one can happen to him, it can happen to any of us. Bottom line: as we all emerge from our pandemic isolation, return to work and enjoy the great outdoors, we should take steps to take care of ourselves.

Here are three ways you’re likely to find yourself in a world of hurt if you don’t proceed with caution.

Traumatic injury

Summertime is for softball games, water skiing, backyard football and morning jogs. As a result, it’s also the time for sprained ankles, dislocated shoulders, head injuries and beat-up knees. Thanks to the gorgeous weather that dominates the season—and our collective thirst for human contact after months of quarantine—many of us are spending more time outside, and we’re out of shape.

As you indulge in these slices of summer fun in the sun, we recommend you understand the risks and take the proper safety precautions before you get started—and make sure you stay hydrated on those long summer days.

Back to the gym

Throughout much of the COVID-19 pandemic, gyms closed their doors or restricted their capacity, meaning a number of regulars couldn’t maintain their workout regimens. For Caleb, the problem came down to becoming more sedentary, generally, because of his stage of life, which was compounded by his bout with the virus.

“I think I just naturally didn’t use it as much as I got older—but then on top of that, when I got COVID, I didn’t move as much and I didn’t play for a few weeks,” he said.

As you return to you regular routine—especially if you’ve been out of the gym for a while—it’s a good idea to start slowly and gradually work your way back up to where you left off. Through it all, it’s important to take time to stretch, hydrate, get proper nutrition and get enough rest.

Repetitive motion

As the world reopens, so do our workplaces. That means, for many of us, the daily physical conditions we experience at work could be significantly different from those we’ve had at home. This may not be a top-of-mind concern, but if your job requires long hours at a keyboard or repetitive motion, you may be at increased risk for injuries to your muscles, joints and ligaments.

You can help yourself out by practicing proper posture when sitting, making sure your workspace is optimized for you—and, if you’re able, scheduling time away from your desk. Go for a quick walk, even if it’s just around your office. Do a few stretches in your cubicle.

Get hurt, pay the PRICE

If you do experience an injury, address the problem sooner rather than later. Often, after an injury, it takes a while to understand the full impact of the damage you’ve done to your body. Left untreated, primary physical trauma can lead to secondary trauma. For example, if you’ve sprained your ankle and begin to walk off-balance as a result of a limp, you may cause further injury to the ankle itself—or cause trauma to other parts of your body, including your hips, knees and back.

If you find yourself injured, pay the PRICE:

Protect the injured body part.

Rest it (stay off of it).

Ice the injured location.

Compress the injury.

Elevate the injury above your heart.

Avoid a Second Quarantine

While Caleb discovered a few silver linings as a result of his injury and convalescence—including more time to reflect, more time to read, and the opportunity to spend additional time with his kids—he wouldn’t necessarily recommend searching for enlightenment on the same road he has traveled.

“When something like walking has been taken away from you—you realize how grateful you are to be able to do it,” he explained. “That said, getting injured and being laid up at home for weeks was kind of like going through a second quarantine.”