1. Use Ice and Compression
a. The easiest thing to do right after an injury occurs is to apply ice and compression to the injured area. Ice will cause the swelling and pain to subside when the onset of these symptoms occurs quite fast after the injury occurrence. Keep the ice on the area for about 15-20 minutes and repeat that multiple times within the first day. Apply compression bandages on the area to reduce swelling as well.
2. Rest
a. A simple way to recover from an injury is to rest. This can be challenging, especially for athletes, because a lot of the time they want to get right back into it. However, it is a crucial part of recovering and making sure the injury doesn’t get any worse. Along with simply resting your body to prevent further injury, sleep is very important, too. This will make sure the tissue in your body and specifically the injury are regenerating and recovering.
3. Physical Therapy
a. After giving the injury some time to heal with the above two methods, it is important to gain the strength back with physical therapy. Find a local therapist near you that can work with you to come up with a personalized program filled with exercises that can help bring back that strength and range of motion. It depends on the severity of the injury how long you must continue physical therapy, which can be figured out with your therapist. They will work with you the best they can to make sure there is no re-injury.
4. Surgery and Post op Therapy
a. If the injury is severe enough, it may need surgery to heal as best as possible. Talk to a doctor or healthcare professional to discuss what the best course of action will be for you. They will provide you with all the information and prior protocols to be prepared for your surgery. Following surgery, post op therapy is ESSENTIAL. Especially for athletes, who need to return to the performance level they were at before, post op therapy will help them return to that as quickly and safely as possible. Even if not returning to a sport, post op therapy can help anyone return to the most optimal quality of life for themselves physically. Post-op therapy, Rigby, Idaho is there to walk you through this process. They will discuss the goals you have that can be maintained through therapy, educate you on best practices, and immensely improve your mobility and functionality.
5. Do Alternative Exercises
a. Though rest is very important, it is also important to try to continue some sort of physical activity so that the injured area does not get completely stiff or immobile. If your healthcare professional or physical therapist allows, try cycling, swimming, or other low-impact activities that will not directly affect the injury. This will allow you to stay active and in shape while being able to let the injury heal.
Injuries are the not so fun part about sports, but using these tools can help you get back into it if something happens. To prevent injury make sure you are fueling yourself and are smart about your limits, especially with weights and things of that nature. But these are a few resources to help if an injury happens to occur.