Whether you are injured during exercise or have been involved in an accident, it can be uncomfortable and frustrating to be out of action until you have recovered. Some injuries aren’t as bad as others, but in some cases, you might not be able to get back to your usual routine for weeks, months, or sometimes an injury can change the way you do things for the rest of your life. If you have recently been injured, mildly or severely, below are some tips that can help you recover properly and as quickly as possible.
Visit Your Doctor
For minor to mild injuries, a visit to your doctor may not be necessary as the injury will heal well on its own. However, if you are having persistent issues after a few days, it might be time to get a medical professional’s opinion. It might be that your injury just needs a little longer to heal, or you might have hurt yourself more seriously than you first thought and need medical attention. If you are still experiencing pain and discomfort for longer than a few days after your injury, or you notice bruising or swelling in the affected area, you should see your doctor as soon as possible.
Rest
If you have hurt yourself, it’s important to make sure that you are resting the injured area and not aggravating it. It might help to keep the injured part of your body elevated if possible and use an ice pack to reduce the swelling. In some cases, a warm bath might be the better solution to help relax your muscles, but this is better for mild aches and pains or when you’re feeling a little stiff. Getting enough sleep each night will also help your body to recover quicker.
Eat Well
Another thing to keep in mind if you want to recover faster from an injury is your diet. You should always strive to maintain a balanced diet in your daily routine anyway, but if your body needs a bit of a boost to heal itself, eating the right things can help with this. If it is a sports injury that you’re battling with, eating plenty of protein (but not too much) will help your body bounce back. Vitamin C and D can also help quicken your recovery process, as well as Omega-3 (think salmon, tuna, mackerel) and fresh fruit and vegetables.
Gentle Exercises
While resting the injured area is important, you should still be doing some gentle exercises to avoid the area seizing up, which can be even more painful. It might feel a little tender, but some small stretching exercises can help your muscles regain strength and keep them supple. Putting light pressure on the area might also be useful, but be careful that you’re not making the injury worse.
Physiotherapy
If the injury has been more serious, you might need to have physiotherapy to help you recover and regain your strength. Your doctor will be able to tell you if this is something that you need after inspection and can refer you to a physiotherapist if you want them to. You can also do things at home to help boost your physiotherapy process by using websites such as ATL Physio where you can search for tips and advice on how to recover from specific injuries. Your physiotherapist will do strengthening exercises with you at your appointments and give you things to do at home to aid your rehabilitation.
Medication
If you have a serious injury, your doctor will be able to prescribe you pain relief medication to ease your recovery process. However, if you do not require prescription drugs but are still feeling a little uncomfortable, you can get over-the-counter pain relief at your local drugstore. Anti-inflammatory medication is likely the best choice, as one of the biggest causes of your discomfort could be the swelling around the injury.
Counseling
If you have been injured in an accident or another traumatic circumstance, assistance with your physical recovery is not the only thing that you might need. If you have been struggling with your mental health since the incident, speaking to a professional counselor might help you process what happened and start to regain your confidence and teach you some coping mechanisms if you are having problems with anxiety or depression. You could even look into joining a support group where there will be other people who have been through something similar to you, which you may prefer.
If you have recently suffered an injury and would like to speed up the recovery process, consider the tips above and see which ones will benefit you.
