223. Don’t Let Injuries Become Setbacks

May 5, 2026

An injury can sideline one limb without giving the rest of your body permission to quit.

When you’re in a sling, boot, or on crutches, the instinct is often to stop everything until you’re “cleared.” But what does that pause really cost? In this episode of The Code, Dr. Andrew Fix breaks down cross education and why training the uninjured side of the body can help preserve strength, limit atrophy, and support recovery on the injured side.

This conversation challenges the all-or-nothing mindset that often shows up after injury or surgery. Many people are told what not to do, but not what they can still do. That missing guidance can lead to lost habits, lower motivation, and a harder return to activity. With the right modifications, safe movement can keep the body and brain connected to the larger goal.

The bigger message is simple: recovery does not have to mean disappearing from your routines, your community, or your goals. Consistency still matters. And sometimes the best question after an injury is not, “How long until I’m back?” It’s, “What can I still do today?”

Quotes

“The body is a fantastic machine. And it’s smart enough to know that when we have an injury where we have something that’s bothering us, we can’t just stop moving. We need to keep moving.” (Dr. Andrew Fix | 01:23)
“Continue to train the movements that you would do with that injured limb if it wasn’t injured.” (03:27 | Dr. Andrew Fix)
“One of the missed opportunities when it comes to rehabilitation and training is maintaining the consistency when something happens.” (04:09 | Dr. Andrew Fix)
“Your goals don’t stop just because something happened to you.” (06:42 | Dr. Andrew Fix)
“The worst thing you could do is use that time to do nothing.” (09:01 | Dr. Andrew Fix)

Links

https://www.google.com/search?q=cross+education+body+injury&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS987US989&oq=cross+education+body+injury&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRigATIHCAUQIRifBTIHCAYQIRifBTIHCAcQIRifBTIHCAgQIRifBTIHCAkQIRifBdIBCDU2NDNqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

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