Why Your Injury Won’t Heal: It Always Comes Down to These 2 Things.

When you are injured there are two things you need to know:

• What is causing the injury?

• What are the steps to get from where you are now, to where you need to be?

Question one can either be simple or much more complex.

If you roll your ankle, you know what has caused the injury, you know the muscles and ligaments involved, and the path back to fitness should be fairly clear if it’s rehabbed properly. This is simple.

If your knee starts hurting for no apparent reason, you don’t know what has caused the injury. You know where the pain is, but you don’t really know what the problem is. That makes it much more complex.

Then we move to question two. If you know what the injury is, the path back to fitness is clearer, and anyone worth their salt should know the steps to get you there. However, from experience, most people will be happy to get you back to “pain free,” not “ready to perform.” (More about that later.)

If you don’t know what is causing the injury, the path back to fitness can be a tricky one, with some trial and occasionally some error, while constantly adjusting your plan based on feedback. Again, this is much more complex.

So, back to the title of the newsletter - the two reasons your injury won’t heal tend to be:

• You haven’t rehabbed it hard enough.

• You haven’t found the actual problem.

1. You haven’t rehabbed it hard enough

Imagine a ladder, with you currently standing at the bottom. Every rung is the next step of your recovery, and at the top you’ve reached the end of your rehab journey.

The lower rungs are low-level, bodyweight, banded, or off-feet type exercises.

The middle rungs are weighted, on-feet, specific strength exercises.

The top rungs mimic the speed, intensity, load, and fitness of the sport you want to return to. This phase will look different for everyone. If you’re rehabbing your nan so she can carry the shopping, it’s different to rehabbing a Hyrox competitor - for obvious reasons.

The issue I see time and time again is this: once the bottom rungs are complete and the pain has subsided, the insurance-paid physio sessions run out. You’re sent on your merry way back into sport and exercise… grossly underprepared.

Guess what happens next.... re-injury!!

2. You haven’t found the actual problem

For this I’ll use an example. I’ve just started helping someone with a high hamstring tendinopathy (an irritated tendon at the top of her hamstring). For the last four months her rehab has focused on strengthening the hamstring (seems obvious, right?).

But here’s the thing: I don’t think the hamstring is the problem. In fact, I think it’s the least of her problems. Before the hamstring injury, she had a nasty fall on her hip. When I watched her move, it was clear she couldn’t take any load through that hip at all, and when we strength-tested it… it was super weak.

My working hypothesis is that the hamstring is doing too much work because the hip isn’t doing enough - and that’s why the hamstring keeps breaking down.

But am I right?

Well, I don’t know yet, because we’re still working through it. What I do know is this: rehabbing just the hamstring hasn’t worked for four months.

The nice thing for both of us is that we’re doing this training online. We’ve got multiple touch points every week. I can adjust and tweak her programme based on feedback, and pivot in 10 seconds - instead of her waiting a month for another physio appointment.

That’s really the difference. Most rehab plans stop too early or miss the real cause. What you actually need is a clear process, constant adjustment, and someone in your corner who won’t settle for “good enough.”

That’s exactly how I work with people online - bridging the gap between “pain free” and “ready to perform.,” and moving things forward at speed!

What's been happening at Razor Performance.

On a personal note, I’ve recently left my part-time role at Complete Physio to focus fully on my online business. Complete was a great place — hugely supportive with brilliant people — but I knew this is what I wanted, and it was time to take the jump.

The last few weeks have been a rollercoaster: 6 new starters ranging from rowers to duathletes, to people who simply want to get back to fitness or recover from niggles.

My weeks have been a blur, trying to organise my time and figure out exactly what I need to do to make this service the best it can be. I realise this is a huge privilege, and one I’m excited to build on even further.

Client successes of the week

• One downright inspirational client ran a 1:41 half marathon, benched 105kg, and is still playing rugby at 50. Ridiculous.

• Another completed the Hyrox fitness test in 30 minutes. When we met three months ago, his back pain was crippling and he couldn’t do classes. There’s still work to do, but now he has a place at Hyrox London - a dream for him.

• Another is off to Italy to do a 4-day, 750km bike ride after two months of strengthening following chronic back pain.

• My Ironman is getting ready to complete a 100-mile ultra… for “fun.”

• One runner is back after five months of knee pain and now prepping for the Valencia marathon.

• Two Hyrox competitors have some ridiculous before-and-afters. With London in December as their main focus, strength and nutrition have also delivered some unreal physique changes.

• My good mate Rob is back running after a chronic Achilles injury. We’ve been battling some stomach issues which stalled progress, but he’s back on track and ready to start triathlon prep in November as per target.

I’m always conscious that some of these success stories might seem out of reach. But let me assure you, plenty of clients are still in the early stages of their journey, or chasing smaller goals that fit their needs.

What I would say, however, is that my target is always to redefine your limits. Even if these examples feel miles away right now, they are not insurmountable - with time, effort, and the right support.

If any of these stories struck a chord, know this: they all started from the same place as you. If you’re ready to see what you could really do, reach out - your best story might be next.

Book your 30 minute introductory call here.

https://calendly.com/razorperformance/30min