Subjective Injury Awareness and Recovery Efforts
[Sequence Log 007]
Subjective Injury Awareness and
Recovery Efforts
Last week, I heard that a coach at my box had suffered a serious shoulder injury.
(Previous post)
The coach had been aware that something was off with their shoulder,
yet they continued to push through workouts.
The result was a near-dislocation injury.
This week, I experienced shoulder pain myself.
Unlike the coach, I made a conscious decision to adjust,
but I was reminded once again of the limitations of subjective awareness.
1. Wednesday: Intentional Adjustment
― Reducing weight and choosing to cushion
Today’s workout included thrusters.
I usually use 20kg dumbbells, but I intentionally reduced the weight.
I reached for 20kg, but chose 10kg instead.
When receiving the weight, I cushioned it through squats.
Similarly, when lifting the weight, I used my lower body strength.
This wasn’t about being weak or avoiding hard work.
It was about recognizing that injury prevention is the foundation of all goals.
After returning home, I applied an ice pack to my shoulder,
so the pain wasn’t too severe.
I decided not to attend Friday’s class,
and instead planned to recover through running or other activities.
I also planned to get a massage after Saturday’s Jiu-Jitsu trial
to actively promote recovery.
2. Thursday: Active Recovery
― Acupressure stick, massage ball, and stretching
I worked on recovery through massage and stretching.
I used an acupressure stick and a massage ball.
These are self-massage tools that can be easily used at home.
The acupressure stick releases tension in the shoulder and back muscles,
while the massage ball delivers pressure to deeper muscle layers.
I did about 20 minutes of stretching before class.
I focused on the muscles around the shoulder,
particularly the upper trapezius and rotator cuff.
These active recovery efforts were more effective than simply resting.
I felt the difference between passive recovery (doing nothing) and active recovery (stretching, massage).
3. Friday: Canceling the Class
― Breaking the 5-day-a-week workout compulsion
I canceled the class I had scheduled for that day.
Even after stretching in the morning,
my shoulder still felt stiff,
and the discomfort in movement persisted.
Breaking the compulsion to work out five days a week wasn’t easy.
But I had a feeling that working out today would make things worse.
The coach’s shoulder injury kept coming to mind.
(Previous post)
Resting today is better for the long term than working out today.
This final judgment led to my decision.
This wasn’t about being weak.
It was a choice to prioritize recovery from a long-term perspective.
If I get injured, I can’t pursue any goal.
No matter how ambitious the target,
an injury makes it unattainable.
4. Saturday: Professional Massage
― Monthly full-body massage
I went to an actual massage shop and received a dry massage.
I received a full-body massage for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
I receive this massage once a month on a regular basis.
I mainly work on a computer, which causes rounded shoulders and forward head posture.
After getting a massage, I feel some relief, so I go regularly.
This time, I asked for a massage focused on my shoulder pain.
The professional masseuse released tension in the muscles around my shoulder,
focusing intensively on the rotator cuff and upper trapezius.
What I felt during the massage was
the difference between self-massage and professional massage.
The professional masseuse found and released muscle tension
that I couldn’t even feel.
This was another example of the limitations of subjective awareness.
I felt that “my shoulder hurts,”
but I couldn’t tell exactly which muscle was the problem,
or how tense it was.
5. Sunday: Continued Recovery
― Choosing active recovery
I also canceled next Monday’s class.
I still hadn’t fully recovered.
Instead of staying home and doing nothing,
I worked on active recovery through walking.
I chose active recovery (walking) over passive recovery (staying home).
Walking is a low-intensity aerobic exercise
that promotes blood circulation and relieves muscle tension.
At the same time, it poses almost no risk of injury.
This was more effective than simply resting.
I realized that recovery isn’t about doing nothing,
but about choosing appropriate activities.
6. The Limitations of Subjective Awareness
― The gap between feeling and reality
This week’s experience clearly showed the limitations of subjective awareness.
I felt that “my shoulder hurts.”
But I couldn’t tell exactly which muscle was the problem.
I couldn’t tell how serious it was.
I couldn’t tell when it would recover.
The coach was the same.
They knew something was wrong with their shoulder,
but couldn’t tell exactly how serious it was.
By the time the injury became clear, it was already too late.
Last week, another member said their knee hurt before the WOD started.
They performed alternative movements, then switched back to the original movements and finished the WOD.
When they said their knee hurt again during yesterday’s WOD, I could only ask, “Have you been to the hospital?”
But I couldn’t advise further, and I couldn’t force them to go to the hospital.
Even for a simple checkup, a hospital visit can be a time and financial burden for some people.
I was the same.
There was a psychological and economic distance to getting medical judgment at a hospital.
So I had no choice but to rely on subjective sensation alone.
Subjective sensation alone cannot accurately assess the severity of an injury.
This suggests the need for objective monitoring.
What if we could detect recovery state objectively
through measurable signals such as
heart rate variability, recovery metrics,
training load vs. recovery speed?
7. The Value of Recovery Efforts
― Choosing active recovery
This week, I tried various recovery efforts.
- Reducing weight and choosing to cushion
- Self-massage using acupressure stick and massage ball
- Pre-workout stretching
- Deciding to cancel classes
- Professional massage
- Active recovery through walking
All these efforts were choices to prioritize recovery.
If I get injured, I can’t pursue any goal.
No matter how ambitious the target,
an injury makes it unattainable.
Recovery requires as much attention as training.
This isn’t about being weak.
It’s an essential choice for sustainable training from a long-term perspective.
8. The Gap in Judgment
― The moment when judgment, not information, is needed
This week’s experience made one thing clear.
Injuries don’t happen suddenly.
Most injuries are the result of ignoring signals that were already present.
- Knee hurt, but “it got better,” so back to training
- Shoulder felt unstable, but “just this one set”
- Hospital visits are burdensome
- Coaches can’t force medical judgment
The problem isn’t a lack of information.
It’s a gap in judgment.
We have the information: “my shoulder hurts.”
But making the judgment—“should I train today or rest?”—is difficult.
Subjective sensation alone isn’t enough.
But there’s a psychological and economic distance to going to the hospital.
Coaches can’t force medical judgment.
So what should we do?
We need a system that makes the next choice wiser after exercise.
This is what sqnc today aims for.
sqnc today isn’t an app that makes you better at exercise.
It’s an AI judgment system that makes your next choice wiser after exercise.
[Next Sequence]
This sequence was
a week of experiencing the limitations of subjective awareness
and trying various recovery efforts.
In the next installment, I’ll
- explore the relationship between subjective sensation and objective indicators
- examine measurable signals that can be used to detect recovery state
- search for systems that integrate injury prevention and recovery monitoring
The next log will continue with
integrating subjective awareness and objective monitoring.