Physical activity and sports is a great way to stay healthy and have fun. Unfortunately, sometimes playing sports results in injury. American’s experience about 8.6 million sports-related injuries per year!
If you’ve been sidelined by an athletics injury, we know you want to recover as quickly as possible so that you can get back in the game! We’ve put together some tips to help aid you on your path to recovery. Read on to learn what they are!
1. Chill, Dude
No, literally chill. Cold therapy is a great way to aid in the recovery process.
Applying ice to the injury will reduce swelling and help speed the healing process. You can do this by applying a bag directly to the injury, or by sitting in an ice bath.
2. Relax
Now, figuratively chill. Immediately following the injury you will want to take some time off. Rest the injured body part, in particular, making sure to keep weight off it and allow the healing process to begin.
Don’t try and do too much before you are ready. Listen to your body and if it hurts too much to do something, you shouldn’t be doing it! When you do return to your sport, do so slowly. Don’t play an entire game right away, work back up to where you were.
3. Seek out the Professionals
Many of us think we know our own bodies pretty well, and it may be tempting to skip the doctor when you sustain a sports injury, but that is unwise. What may feel like “just a sprain” could be a fracture that will get worse without the proper treatment.
It is important to see your doctor so that your injury can get properly diagnosed and treated. Failing to do this could lead to worse injuries and things not healing correctly.
In some cases, you may need help from physical therapy. Someone trained in physical therapy will know what exercises you can do to help recover from your specific injury without causing strain. They also will have the tools and facilities that you may otherwise not have access to.
They can put you on a regiment specifically geared to your body and getting you back to where you want to be. All you have to do is stick to it!
Bonus Athletics Injury Tip: Give Yourself a Break
No athletics injury is fun, and the time you have to spend laid up may mean you lose some of your fitness progress. Don’t beat yourself up about it, it’s ok! Your health is more important than missing a few games.
Rest, relax, and don’t stress. Let yourself recover, then come on out to us when you’re ready to get back into prime shape. Our Las Vegas facility has programs that help you along your road to recovering from an injury.
Check out our page on Return to Play training to learn more!
