5 Ways To Recover Safely From A Sports Injury

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When you are a serious athlete, one of the things you learn to do is work through the pain. That means you may want to just wrap up a sprain and continue to train. However, it is important to take the correct steps so that you can recover quickly, instead of making it worse and prolonging your injury time.

Rest and Ice

One of the most important things you can do after an injury is to rest it. You can use ice to help reduce the swelling caused by the injury. After twenty-four hours, you can alternate heat and ice to help it recover. This should help with most common injuries such as sprains and strains. You may also want to take an anti-inflammatory to help reduce swelling.

Use Compression

Wrapping a sprained ankle or sore joint can help to prevent swelling. Using a brace while training on a sore joint can also help. However, you should be sure that you are at a place in your healing where it is safe to exercise or put weight on it before you begin training again. 

Seek Medical Attention

It is important to seek medical attention for injuries that still bother you after twenty-four hours. Although you may be fairly certain that it is just a sprain, it is important to get it checked out to prevent yourself from injuring it further. You may have a stress fracture or a more serious sprain that requires a different course of action than caring for a traditional sprain.

Consider Physical Therapy

Physical therapy can help you gain back full motion after a break or serious injury, but it can also help you strengthen a joint or problem area to help you prevent repeat injuries. WebMD recommends talking to a physical therapist about the when and how to strengthen your ankle after a sprain. The same applies for most injuries. You can build up the muscle around the injury, which should help prevent you from injuring it again. 

Cross Train

If you are a committed athlete, the idea of not training may be stressing you out. After talking to your doctor, you can learn some ways to continue to cross train while allowing your affected joint recover. Swimming is a good way to work on cardio if you cannot put weight on your leg. You may also be able to cycle or do other exercises depending on where your injury is. Your doctor and trainer should be able to recommend alternate exercises that will allow you to stay in shape while you recover. 

For more information, contact a company like Procare Physical Therapy.


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