Many people take fitness classes and exercises to improve their health. Sometimes, these activities cause pain and sports-related injuries. There are many ways to start healing from the pain of a fitness injury. Here are some natural ways you can eliminate pain from a fitness injury:
Use Ice and Heat
Using ice or heat to treat your injury can help reduce pain, swelling, and inflammation to the point where you feel no pain. The Conversation reports that medical professionals still recommend the compress to relieve injuries of many types. Adding heat to the injured area can make the tissue more pliable, allowing it to heal faster. You can use a heating pad on the injury or simply apply hot compresses.
In other types of injury, applying cold packs can help with swelling and soreness. You can apply the cold pack directly to the injury or make a compress by wrapping up a few ice cubes in cloth. Some recommend to use ice for the first 48 hours of the injury then switch to heat.
Get Enough Rest to Heal
It is important to rest the injured area for as long as needed. Rest is the body’s way of recovering from an injury, and it can definitely help you recover from a sports exercise injury much faster than you think. This method allows the body to repair itself completely and reduce inflammation. Adequate rest allows the body to recuperate from damage and heal itself.
Nix the Stretching
If you are an avid exercise buff, stretching for you is probably a habit. However, stretching in the wrong way can make you feel a lot worse. In addition, some sports-related industries actually occur when you stretch your body in a unique way. If you’ve sustained a recent injury, you should avoid stretching at all for the time being. It’s not good to continue stretching after a health injury occurs because it may lead to re-injury and lengthen your recovery time.
Don’t Avoid All Daily Activities
Sometimes injuries will make it difficult to continue the activities you love, but try your best not to sit around all day(unless advised by your doctor). Doing so can lead to atrophy and weakened muscles which can result in increased pain when you start exercising again. When you do start exercising again, don’t do it too often or too vigorously. Build up your activity level slowly and do not increase your exercise time by more each week. If you feel pain, stop and consult with your doctor.
Rise Above the Pain to Healing
Elevate the injured area if possible to accelerate the healing process. You may not be able to put weight on the injury, but you can elevate it on a pillow or pillowcase to take some of the pressure off of it. Finding the right balance of elevation can make the difference between being in lots of pain, and not feeling anything. A licensed physiotherapist can help reduce swelling and soreness by teaching you how to elevate your injury properly to get your range of motion back.
Try a Natural Technique
One of the best ways to recover from injury is through therapeutic techniques. There are a number of different methods available, including cold or hot showers, ultrasound treatments from a therapist, and even massage therapy. Be sure to visit your doctor before attempting any type of therapeutic technique.
Strengthen Your Muscles
Many people believe that building muscle helps prevent exercise-related injuries, but it can also help improve your recovery time when an injury occurs. Once you recover, you will need to slowly build strength in your muscles, and this will help to prevent the same type of fitness injury in the future.
Conclusion
Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a professional athlete, you will need to take care of your body at some point. Trying these suggestions can help. But do not wait until your injury becomes so bad that it prevents you from doing what you love. But remember, if you do not feel great after trying these methods, you should always talk to your doctor about getting professional care. To learn more about exercise-related injuries and how to prevent them, contact a fitness professional in your area.
