Hello and welcome to Augusts second blog, I hope that you are all having a great summer full of fun and activity.
What if you’ve got a bit of an injury going on though? Is it a simple injury or something else? Read on…
Firstly, When to Get Help
Sometimes you know when you have done something like twisting your ankle and think you just need to rest it to get better, but you’ve been resting it and it isn’t getting better. It’s getting worse. That is the point you visit the doctor for a further opinion, because if any injury or pain gets worse, something more could be going on, like a fracture.
Last week I told you how to look after a sprain, this week it is about caring for your strain.
Caring for your Strain
Protection, rest, ice, compression, and elevation, known as the PRICE formula, can help the affected muscle. Here’s how: First, remove all constrictive clothing, including jewelry, in the area of muscle strain. Then:
Protect the strained muscle from further injury.
Rest the strained muscle. Avoid the activities that caused the strain and other activities that are painful.
Ice the muscle area for 20 minutes every hour while awake. Ice is a very effective anti-inflammatory and pain-reliever. Small ice packs, such as packages of frozen vegetables or water frozen in foam coffee cups, applied to the area may help decrease inflammation. Please be aware that reducing swelling could slow down the overall healing process, so use with caution.
Compression can be gently applied with an elastic bandage, which can both provide support and decrease swelling. Do not wrap tightly.
Elevate the injured area to decrease swelling. Prop up a strained leg muscle while sitting, for example.
Activities that increase muscle pain or work the affected body part are not recommended until the pain has significantly improved.
Worried?
Contact your doctor if anything concerns you or healing is taking too long or getting worse. Sports Massage can also help speed up the healing process once the immediate inflammation and pain has subsided.
Alongside Sports Massage, I still offer Personal Training for you, tailored to your injury recovery and movement needs. Contact me on [email protected] to find out more.
See you soon!
Chloe