…Minor Sports Injuries: Steps to Healing…
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If you ever had an injury after working out, you know how painful it is. Exercising further is a no-go, and even performing everyday activities like putting on a sweater becomes a painful process. The worst part of it all is that you did it to yourself. Luckily, there are quite a few tips on how to recover from them and how to avoid getting the injury in the first place.
Prevention
It is so much we can do to avoid injuries when exercising, it’s extra frustrating when it first happens. Rule number one is to make sure your muscles are warmed up properly; if you’re an athlete, you can also benefit from using a chiropractor to prevent sports injuries just like you can use one if you’ve already suffered one. Search for a good chiropractor near me or look at this article for the best way to warm up.
Immediately after
Immediately after a minor injury, such as a strained muscle, it’s important to let the area rest, cool down the swelling, compress and elevate it. This type of injury normally occurs after you pull a muscle further than its elasticity allows; the pain will follow you around with every movement, reminding you of what you did.
If this happens to you, or someone around you, a good reminder of steps above is RICE: rest, ice, compress and elevate. This, as well as the time it takes to heal, is often the same but an acronym is always handy in a stressed situation; a friend on the ground, holding their ankle with an expression of agony, is sure to stress out even the calmest.
The following day
Although the injury is painful at first, the worst part will usually hit you the morning after.. Especially the bruising will look a lot worse after time, even turning to a deep purple color. Keep following the rule of RICE; apply ice every few hours, preferably keeping the area wrapped in an elastic bandage and elevated as much as you can.
Pain is normal and is something we just have to deal with until it’s healed – if it becomes too much, you can consider some painkillers to make it more bearable but follow the instructions on the package. Just avoid applying heat on the area – although it might feel good, it will just make it worse so stick to the ice for now.
A week later
If the injury is minor, it should have started healing after around 72 hours. By now, and if the bruising is starting to look slightly better, you can start to mix up the packs of ice with heat packs instead, and move gently. This will help with the circulation as well as making it heal a bit faster by delivering oxygen and nutrients to the area that needs healing.
You should be careful with exercising still, and stay away from it if it hurts at all. When the swelling has gone down, and you can use your body without any pain, it’s time to get back out there slowly.
