Whether you are a keen athlete or not, getting a muscle injury can be a horrible experience. There are three different grades of muscle strain, and they are usually caused by a muscle stretching or contracting too sharply. So, how can you make your recovery as fast and painless as possible?
Get Complete Rest
For many people, the toughest part of any injury is the enforced rest period that it involves. If you are a naturally active person or have a lot of commitments to deal with, this can seem like the worst possible outcome.
How long you need to rest will depend upon the severity of the injury. A mild strain can be fully gone in as little as a week, while a more severe injury can see you laid up until you are able to get surgery carried out on it.
Why not take this opportunity to explore new hobbies or catch up with friends you’ve lost touch with? It might still be a frustrating wait until you are back on your feet, but the recovery period should be a little bit more bearable if have something else to keep your mind busy.
Apply Ice Regularly
This approach works best if you are able to react quickly and start applying the ice right away. You also need to be consistent and make the effort to apply ice to the injured area for 20 minutes or so every hour during the day.
It is important to apply ice as soon as you can after the injury occurs. After that, if it is a fairly serious injury you might need to carry on applying ice for a couple of days. Always remember to put the ice in a towel rather than apply it directly to the skin.
According to the Sports Medicine Oregon site, this works by constricting the blood vessels, which reduces the amount of blood that flows to the site of the injury. This means that the amount of swelling is lower than it would have otherwise been.
Keep the Injured Area Elevated
Another tip that not everyone is aware of is the need to keep the injured area elevated. In general terms, it should be higher than the heart if possible.
As with the ice, the idea is to lower the amount of blood flowing to the area in order to keep swelling down to a minimum. Some people find that this is best done by propping up their injured arm or leg on pillows.
This is part of the R.I.C.E technique explained on the Healthline website. This means Rest / Ice / Compress / Elevate, and it can help to minimize the effects of a bad injury if applied quickly and effectively.
Get a Professional Massage
Most people now know that massages offer a great way of relaxing and lowering stress levels. Yet, the way that they can help you to recover from a muscle injury isn’t as widely-known about.
A professional massage can help in cases of sprains and strains, as well as being useful when recovering from surgery. This is one of the reasons why they are so popular in the treatment given to athletes by sports clubs.
Whether your injury has been caused during sports or in a traffic accident, you can use this approach to speed up the recovery process and lower the pain levels.
The Miracle Rehab Clinic also confirms that massages can help with orthopedic rehabilitation to restore strength and motion. You can check their website here and book an appointment, as they are experts in treating sprains and other injuries: www.miraclerehabclinic.com
Following all of these pieces of advice should ensure that you are fully recovered more quickly and with as little pain as possible.