The 2005 Glassman Archive article Working Wounded examines how athletes can continue developing fitness while recovering from injury, arguing that rehabilitation should extend beyond simply returning an injured body part to its pre-injury state. Rather than allowing an injury to bring training to a halt, the article presents a hypothetical athlete restricted from weight-bearing after knee surgery and shows how training can be redirected toward the uninjured limbs, upper body, trunk, mobility, and previously neglected skills.

The approach reframes injury as a constraint that can create an opportunity for focused development. By maintaining intensity and training around the injury, an athlete can preserve fitness, build new strength and skills, reduce the mental toll of inactivity, and potentially return to sport in better overall condition than before. The central idea is simple: successful rehabilitation is not merely about getting back to where you were—it is about using the limitations of injury to become more capable than you were before.

https://brokenscience.org/working-wounded/