Training through an injury

Getting injured is the worst, particularly if you are an advanced athlete. I recently sustained a sprain to the pinky on my right hand. This may not seem like a big deal, until you realize that my right hand is effectively useless. Any gripping action will only inflame the injury. The first thing I did (after trying to 'tough it out' for a week) was to think of exercises that required no hand use. Running of course, and tire draggin sprang to mind. With the arrival of my new dragging harness from everythingtrackandfield.com I have been getting faster and stronger on the tire drag. I then decided to do left hand kettlebell movements like swings and snatches. I integrated these with my tire pull. Prior to my injury I was snatching a 24 kilo kettlebell easily with my right hand, but was shakey on the left. Now that I must use only my left hand, I am easily snatching the 24 kilo with what was previously my weak hand. I have used my injury to turn a weakness into a strength.
When trying to train through an injury you must use good judgement. With enough knowledge you can train through nearly any injury, but you have to be a realist and know when to say when. You cannot always use an injury as an opportunity to break through plateaus, sometimes you must settle for maintenance.
Next blog I am going to take a hypothetical (Erin :) ) of someone with a messed up ankle to work out an effective training program to give you some ideas.