When it comes to motocross, it’s not a question of ‘if’ you will get injured, but rather ‘when’. As a participant of what many deem the most dangerous sport on the planet, it is generally accepted that at some point you will get hurt, but what will you do afterwards? How will you get back to racing at the same level you were prior to your injury? In this article we will break down the steps you should take to return to racing and how to safely execute each one.
Before we get into these steps, I want to remind you that the only way they work is if you are cleared by your doctor or physical therapist to perform them. Find a professional that you trust in your area to help you on your journey back to the track so that you can avoid unnecessary risks and accelerate your progress.
Once you’ve consulted with a medical professional, you will be able to start your journey. The steps you’ll need to take to safely return to racing are:
Regain Normal Range of Motion and Function
Gradually Reintroduce Training
Rebuild Your Confidence
Regaining Normal Range of Motion and Function
The first step in your return to the track is going to be to regain full range of motion and function of the injured area. When a rider is injured the first thing they lose is mobility and strength of the injured limb. This might be because they are confined to a cast or sling, or it may be because the body is compensating to protect the injured area. Either way, riding too early before you’ve regained full mobility and function will greatly increase your chances of getting reinjured.
The first thing you’ll need to do to is regain passive mobility with the help of your physical therapist. Passive mobility is the range of motion that you can achieve while someone else is moving your body. This will be accomplished with soft tissue work, like massage, or a number of other manual drills and exercises. Next, you will need to improve your active range of motion (the amount of motion a person can achieve voluntarily) and increase strength of weak muscle groups that might be limiting your mobility and function. This will be done with various corrective exercises, and needs to be progressed gradually so that you do not reinjure yourself during the rehab process. If this step isn’t completed with the utmost precision, you will be setting yourself up for failure upon your return to the track.
Gradually Reintroducing Training
Once your movement quality has improved and you have built up strength in the injured area you’re going to need to start training again. This includes both strength and conditioning training and riding. It’s important to understand that after an injury and time off, your tolerance for training will be much lower than when you were at your best. This means that even a small amount of training will be enough to help progress you in the right direction. If you do too much too quickly, you will overtrain and get hurt. Keep in mind that your conditioning and strength will be lower than before, but if you took the time to train hard and improve your fitness prior to your injury, you will bounce back and return to racing much faster than someone who hasn’t.
As you reintroduce training there are a few guidelines you will want to follow. First, how you feel is important. If an exercise doesn’t feel right, then it probably isn’t, or, you’re just not ready for it yet. Next, don’t base your training off of your previous records in the gym. Don’t try to keep up with the pace of your best cycling workout or squat close to your pre-injury max. This is a recipe for disaster and if you have hopes of getting back to the track you’re going to need to take your ego out of the equation. Lastly, start off with far less training volume than you expect will be necessary for you to progress. If you do too little, it’s no big deal, but if you do too much and get hurt, there’s no turning back. A good rule of thumb is to start with one quarter to one third of the amount of training you were doing prior to the injury, and at much lighter weights and a slower pace. If you were doing 3 sets of an exercise, do 1 set. If you were cycling for 90 minutes, do 30 minutes. From there, you can gradually build back your fitness over time. This will increase your likelihood of success and decrease the time it takes for you to get back to racing shape.
Rebuilding Your Confidence
Battling through an injury is not only exhausting physically, but mentally as well. Rebuilding confidence in your abilities is going to be key if you want to exceed the level of riding you were at prior to your injury. The only way to really accomplish this is to get as much seat time as possible, once your physical therapist and doctor say that it is okay to do so. Of course, this does not mean go out on your first day and go nuts on the track. What it means is that you need to start off easy and gradually push the boundaries of what you’re capable of. This goes for both the gym and the track. Listen to step number 2! Don’t get into the gym your first day after a 6 month recovery from a broken femur and try to deadlift your max weight! Build back up little by little, accumulate small wins, and it will help your confidence tremendously on the track.
Returning to racing after an injury is never easy, but if you take the proper steps, you’ll have a smooth and quick recovery. Find the right professionals to work with who know and understand your goals as a racer, so that you can have the best results possible. Return at your own pace and make sure that you are both mentally and physically ready before you return to the track. If you rush the process, it’s likely that you’ll have to repeat it.
