Making Space for Recovery: Sports Injuries, Rest, and Protecting Your Qi

As we move into fall, I find myself thinking more about recovery, both in my own life and in my work with patients.

Recently, I strained my gastrocnemius, one of the main muscles in the calf, in a freak accident while surfing. It was a good reminder that injuries don't always happen because we overdid it or failed to take care of ourselves. Sometimes, things happen that are simply outside our control.

But what we do afterward matters.

You Can't Always Prevent Injury, But You Can Make Space for Recovery

This time of year, it's easy to keep moving at the same pace we did during summer. We're working, exercising, making plans, taking care of others, and trying to fit everything in. Sometimes we carry that same go-go-go energy straight into fall, even when our bodies are asking for something different.

As the seasons change and the holidays approach, it can be tempting to push through fatigue, skip rest days, or treat downtime as something we have to earn. Before we know it, recovery becomes an afterthought.

Rest is not a setback. It's part of the process.

Whether you're managing a sports injury, feeling run down, or simply noticing that your energy isn't what it was a few months ago, this is a good time to reassess your pace and make room for recovery.

Protecting Your Qi in Traditional Chinese Medicine

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Qi refers to the body's vital functional energy. Seasonal wellness practices often emphasize conserving our resources as we move toward winter, staying warm, nourishing ourselves, and balancing activity with rest.

This doesn't mean we need to stop moving or avoid exercise altogether. Movement remains important for circulation, mobility, and overall health. The goal is to recognize when our bodies need a lighter day, a little extra sleep, or time to recover between workouts.

Sometimes protecting your Qi looks like getting to bed earlier. Sometimes it's choosing a gentle walk instead of a hard training session. And sometimes it's spending an afternoon at home doing very little.

You don't have to wait until you're injured or completely exhausted to give yourself permission to slow down.

Rest Days Are Part of Training

For athletes and active people, it's easy to focus on what we need to do more of: more strength training, more mileage, more practice, more consistency.

But recovery is also part of training.

Rest days give the body time to adapt to exercise and recover from physical demands. Depending on your training load, this might mean taking a full day off, alternating high-intensity workouts with easier sessions, or temporarily modifying activity when something doesn't feel right.

An injury may require more than a rest day, and persistent or significant pain deserves appropriate evaluation. But even outside of injury, building recovery into your routine can help you approach your activities with more awareness and sustainability.

Making Time to Recover

I know that setting aside an hour or more for yourself isn't always easy. But acupuncture appointments can offer something many of us rarely allow ourselves: 60–90 minutes to pause, lie down, and do absolutely nothing.

Acupuncture can be part of a broader recovery plan for appropriate musculoskeletal concerns, alongside activity modification, adequate sleep, and other care as needed. Treatments may also incorporate cupping, gua sha, or electrical stimulation when clinically appropriate.

If a longer appointment doesn't fit into your schedule, there are other ways to stay connected to your care. Established patients can book a focused follow-up cupping and gua sha appointment, or schedule an in-person herbal medicine reassessment to check in on their health and herbal plan.

I also continue to offer telehealth herbal medicine appointments by phone or online. These appointments aren't listed on my online booking platform, so please reach out to me directly to schedule.

Recovery doesn't have to look the same for everyone. The important thing is to make room for it.

A Gentle Reminder for Fall

You don't have to wait for your body to force you to slow down.

Take the rest day. Leave an afternoon open. Choose a quieter evening at home. Make time for the appointment you've been putting off.

We can't control every injury, illness, or unexpected interruption. But we can be more intentional about how we care for ourselves as the seasons change.

Sometimes, taking care of yourself means doing more. And sometimes, it means giving yourself permission to do a little less.

In health,

Dr. Darla Chenin, LAc

Getting ready to surf at one of my favorite spots along the coast | 35mm film.