Bouncing Back After Injury

Injuries happen to even the most seasoned and athletic of people; however, with prompt action, an injury does not need to be the death sentence for an activity that you love. Some injuries can be treated rather simply and will allow you to return to normal quickly, whereas others require a more intense treatment plan. How an injury needs to be dealt with depends on how bad the injury is. The only way to get a good idea of what is happening is to have it evaluated by a doctor or therapist, so this should be your first step in formulating a treatment plan.

Hot and Cold

After the injury has occurred you need to start heat and cold therapy using ice packs and heating packs or pads. The general rule is to ice or heats an injury for about twenty minutes at a time while being careful not to burn the skin by using a temperature that is either too hot or too cold. One or both can work together effectively to relieve inflammation and reduce the pain associated with your injury.

Further Treatment

Depending on where the injury is located and the severity of the injury you may require a cast or brace in order to hold the injury stable and allow it time to mend. Let the injured area have lots of rest as that will be a key player in how long and how well you recover from the damage. If there is inflammation it may be recommended that you wear a compression bandage in order to reduce the swelling.

Rehabilitation

Returning to regular activity can be a quick and painless process, but it is definitely not something you want to rush. Start slowly back into the activity and don’t expect too much from your recovering area. If you push yourself too hard you will run the risk of reinsuring yourself or even making the injury worse. Depending on the injury this can lead to a reoccurring problem or even an injury that will require surgery to fix.

Preventative Measures

In order to avoid injury in the first place or to avoid again injuring an already vulnerable part of your body, there is an easy measure you can take. All the muscle groups in your body work together and in order to get the muscle groups to work together more effectively a body strengthening program can be a great addition to your routine. Work with a personal trainer or your doctor in order to come up with a plan to strengthen the muscles in your body and more directly the muscles that will help the injured part of your body become stronger. Building the muscles in your body and becoming stronger can help you avoid future injuries to all areas of the body.

It cannot be stressed enough that injuries, no matter how small they may seem, need to be taken seriously.  By allowing a doctor, specialist, or physical therapist to evaluate your injury you can recover more quickly without wasting time on home treatments that may not be suitable for the type of injury you have sustained.