If you play sports or go to the gym on a regular basis, the chances are that, at some point, you will suffer some sort of injury. I’ve had a few twinges in my time but, touch wood, nothing major. How you deal with your injuries regardless of how they are caused has a big impact on how fast you will recover and whether that will be a full or a partial recovery. Here’s a few top tips on how to help you to recover as fast as possible and get you back in the gym or on the field.
Stop Immediately
When injury strikes, the best approach is to stop what you are doing immediately. Running or training through the pain will only lead to more damage. Once you have identified the cause and rested the injury you may still be able to exercise if the nature of the injury allows, but continuing to exercise when you do not know what is wrong is never a good idea.
Treat It Fast
Most injuries swell, so apply ice to reduce the swelling. This will ease the pain and speed up injury recovery. The sooner you start treating the injury the better.
Control The Pain
You need to stay on top of the pain. Doing so will allow you to sleep properly and maintain some mobility. Get some advice from a physio for what to take.
Stay Mobile
This is important because to heal your body needs to carry away damaged tissue in the bloodstream and deliver new materials to repair the injury. If you don’t stay mobile, this repair process is slowed down. You do need to rest the injured area, but gently exercising other areas of the body keeps your circulation going in the entire body.
Seek Professional Advice
Some injuries are so serious that it’s obvious that you need medical help. When you see a medical professional, you automatically get the advice and support you need to make sure that you recover fully. Often you will be offered physiotherapy or foot physio to ensure that the injury heals completely. This means that you end up following a regime that ensures full recovery of strength and mobility.
Taking injuries seriously and looking after yourself is key to healing quickly and keeping your body strong. Keep going, guys!
