In a previous blog, I wrote about injuries, the types of injuries, and
how to help prevent them. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to
avoid injuries. If you compete in any high level of sport, you know that
injuries are inevitable! The road to recovery is the most important
step to get back to the level of fitness you were before, and possibly
even surpass your level of strength and stamina to a given body part
before the injury occurred. By not taking proper procedures, however,
can result in long-term injury of a specific facet of your health. Here
are some ways to take care of those injuries, big and small.
Examine the Injury - We are not even going to discuss serious trauma,
as if there is something serious going on, you need to seek medical
assistance immediately, whether that be via ambulance or a hospital
visit under your own power.
Next, there is a term called progressive overload. This is the training
concept that you should continually challenge yourself from workout,
to workout in order to constantly improve and not plateau. As you work
out, however, you are aiming to damage or "injure" your muscle tissue.
This is one main focus of exercise, as after we have damaged muscle
tissue, the body responds by rebuilding the tissue to be (potentially)
bigger, stronger, and more powerful than it was before. This is still
classified as an injury and should not be taken lightly. After a
serious workout, either later in that same day, or the beginning of the
next, your muscles will feel sore. Virtually all of us have
experienced this. That is the process of broken down muscle tissue that
the body is rebuilding. You must give at least 48 hours after a serious
workout like this to allow a muscle to full recover, or you will set
yourself up for potential injury down the road.
Non-serious trauma usually occurs in soft tissues. These include
strains, pulls, twists, jams, etc. You generally do not need to seek
medical help immediately, but you should absolutely end your workout at
that point and make a doctor's appointment as soon as possible to asses
the damage that has been done.
Post-Injury Steps:
Step 1 - First of all, try and assess your injury. This is pretty
instinctual as human beings. When we feel an injury, our attention is
focused on it almost immediately. Check to make sure you are not
bleeding, or disfigured too badly. If you can move, it is best to move
yourself to a safe location (if you are not already in a safe location)
and have somebody contact emergency services if needed. This is a
great reason why it is good to workout with a partner. Too much
movement can result in further injury, so as long as you are in a safe
position, you should stop moving.
Step 2 - If emergency care is not necessary, then you should elevate
the injured body part above heart level, and get some ice on the area
as soon as possible. For example, if you feel you have sprained your
ankle, you are going to elevate your ankle above chest-height which may
require you to lay down, and put ice on your ankle. Icing and elevation
helps reduce swelling. If something such as your finger or hand is
injured, 10 minutes of ice is great. Something larger, such as an ankle
or shoulder should be iced for 20 to 30 minutes. Let the area warm up
completely before re-icing. Shortly after an injury, you should ice up
to 5 times a day!
Step 3 - Do not exercise right away after an injury, as you will want
your body's resources focused on repairing the injury rather then
repairing broken down muscle tissue from a strenuous workout.
Step 4 - Once you are feeling a bit better, try and get some range of
motion to the injury to prevent atrophy. What you can and can not do is
dependent on the location of the injury and how much pain is present,
so listen to your body!
Step 5 - I can not stress this enough, do not go back to full exercise
until you are feeling back to normal. If you feel as though you have
any remaining pain or loss in range of motion, visit your doctor to
assess the situation which may require physical therapy. You do not
want an injury to become long-term so take the proper precautions!
Quote of the day:
“The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life
running up and down the field and never score.”
~ Bill Copeland
Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com
