I’m writing this from inside a recovery. Ankle tendon injury. Several months of not being able to move the way I normally would. No full-out dancing, limited gym, none of the walks and movement that usually keep me feeling balanced and human.

So this isn’t theoretical. This is what I’m actually navigating right now.

The hardest part isn’t the physical limitation

It’s the loss of the thing that processes everything else. Movement, for most of us who’ve built our lives around it, isn’t just exercise. It’s how we regulate. How we think. How we show up for everything else.

When that’s taken away, even partially. The effect is disproportionate to the injury itself.

What actually helps

Moving what you can, when you can, in a way that doesn’t worsen what’s injured. This sounds obvious but it requires permission. Permission to do less, differently, and still count it as something.

For me that’s meant upper body work, gentle floor-based movement, breathwork. For my clients it might mean modifying barre sequences, focusing on seated or lying exercises, working around rather than through.

What helps most is having a qualified eye on you. Someone who understands how the body compensates, how injury patterns spread or get worse, and how to find the edge between useful challenge and harmful load.

A note on returning to classes after time away

You don’t need to be fully recovered to come back. You need to be at a point where movement won’t worsen your injury and where you can communicate what’s going on.

In my classes, I always want to know. Tell me before class what you’re working around. That’s not extra admin. That’s how I keep you safe and moving well.

Invercargill has good options for supported return to movement. If you’re not sure where to start, come and have a conversation.

Cheers,

Camelle