Exercise injuries can occur for a variety of reasons. If you play a sport, particularly a high-contact sport, then you may get injured from a fall or collision. You can also get injured while working out by pushing yourself too far or pulling a muscle.
An exercise injury can be painful and difficult to deal with, and it also pushes back your fitness goals. Ideally, you should avoid these injuries as much as possible, as pushing yourself too hard and getting hurt only makes it harder to maintain your fitness. Thankfully, if you do get injured, there are some things you can do to help your body to recover more quickly.
If you have a mild sprain or strain, then you can often treat it at home for a couple of days to improve your symptoms. PRICE stands for the steps to take, which are protection, rest, ice, compression, and elevation.
● Protect the area from further damage by using a support.
● Rest your injured area and your body and cut down on exercise. Crutches or a sling can help you to rest affected limbs.
● Ice packs or something else cold can be wrapped in a towel and applied to the injury to soothe pain and inflammation.
● Compression bandages reduce swelling.
● Elevating your injured body part and keeping it above your heart also reduces swelling.
If you look after your injury, then it will have the chance to heal as quickly as possible. It can be frustrating to hold off from your normal routine, but constantly pushing an injured body part might make things worse, which means that you spend even more time out of action.
In some cases, you may benefit from sports physiotherapy to help you to recover from an injury. Physiotherapy uses a variety of techniques and exercises to improve your range of motion and strengthen muscles.
A physiotherapist will be able to develop a program that’s geared towards your specific needs or injury. They will also give you some advice to follow at home. This might include regular exercises or tips to help you to keep your injured body part safe and to restore its functionality as much as possible.
One of the methods that your physiotherapist will use is sports massages. Like a typical relaxation massage, a sports massage involves manipulating soft tissue and muscles. It is specifically designed to reduce tension in the muscles and improve circulation.
Sports massages also encourage the removal of lactic acid from your muscles. Lactic acid builds up during highly intensive exercises and it’s what causes that painful, burning sensation. When it’s removed, your body can relax more quickly.
These techniques can be used after a sports injury, but they can also help you to prevent injuries as they allow your muscles to recover between workouts. This means that you’re less likely to strain your muscles and you’ll have a more enjoyable and beneficial workout.
Need physiotherapy for an exercise-related injury? At Essex Physiotherapy Clinic, we are trained and qualified experts in physiotherapy for sports, knee pain, frozen shoulder, stress management as well as relaxation therapy. Contact us today.
