Back In The Game - 6 Tips For Bouncing Back From An Injury In Record Time

Back In The Game - 6 Tips For Bouncing Back From An Injury In Record Time

Being active is great, but it does elevate your risk of sustaining common injuries such as ankle and hamstring sprains, groin tears, and shin splints. If you're unable to maintain your physical fitness regime because of an injury, there’s no need to suffer for ages. There are plenty of tactics you can employ to recover quickly and get back to your healthy lifestyle pronto. Here are six tips for bouncing back from an injury in record time:

Back In The Game - 6 Tips For Bouncing Back From An Injury In Record Time

[ photo: Unsplash Alexander Redl ]

1. Get Professional Help

Getting professional treatment and guidance for your injury can help with a speedy recovery. Even better, if you opt for mobile physiotherapy services, you don't even have to leave your front door to get that healing process well underway.

2. Become Acquainted With RICE

RICE stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation. It is a well-known approach to treating soft tissue injuries to reduce swelling and pain.

RICE is particularly helpful in treating ankle injuries (an injury that costs the US a massive $30.4 million per one million people). Inversion ankle injuries, in particular, are incredibly common, and around 50% of those types of those injuries occur through sport. RICE is most effective when put it into action as soon as possible after the injury has occurred.

3. Let Yourself Heal

When you're an active person, it can be tempting to get mobile again as soon as your injury is not acutely painful. However, healing will be hindered if you use the damaged area repeatedly. You could even cause your injury to become chronic by doing permanent damage to your body. Although gentle mobility is encouraged with guidance throughout the healing process, initially at least, it is important to force yourself to rest up.

4. Support Your Body's Natural Healing Processes

Smoking is known to slow down, and in some instances totally prevent, the healing of an injury. If you can cut down, or even quit smoking, this will help your body heal a whole lot faster. You can also promote healing by using supplements like omega-3 and vitamin C, and by eating a well-balanced, healthy diet including fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy carbohydrates, fats, and sources of protein.

5. Maintain Range Of Motion & Build Strength

After the inflammation has died down, some gentle movements of the injured area are recommended to ensure your full range of motion is maintained. This will also minimize muscle wastage (which can happen within just a few weeks if you’re not careful), both in the injured area and in other parts of the body. Any movement and exercise after an injury should be done under the guidance of your doctor or physical therapist.

6. Don't Stress

Studies tell us that stress can prolong the time it takes to heal from an injury by 25% or more. If your sport is your career, the way you get “me time,” get better sleep, or naturally boost your mood, it can be difficult to accept that you'll be taking a back seat for a few weeks or months. 

However, getting stressed about it will only prolong the process. Your best bet is to accept what has happened and then put everything you can into recovery. A positive attitude will, at most aid your recovery, and at least, make the process a lot easier for you.

A sports injury can be painful and annoying, but long-term, your prospects for recovery are excellent, especially if you follow the above six tips to speed the healing process up even more.