If you like to play sports, you must know about sports injuries. Almost everyone who has ever done any physical activity has had this happen at some point. Sprains, knee injuries, swollen muscles, and back pain are the most common sports injuries.
Regardless if you are a professional or amateur athlete or someone who constantly goes on active pursuits, the best thing you can do is seek professional sports injury therapy in North York. However, there are a few things you can do to treat the injured area while waiting for your appointment. Here are 5 home care tips:
1. Rest the affected area
When you hurt a muscle, you can expect a few things to happen in the first few hours. Other than feeling the pain right away, you might also have swelling and bruises. The injured area might also hurt when you move it or touch it. At least for the first few hours, you might be unable to move the affected area like you would before your injury.
That’s why getting some rest is one of the best ways to start getting better at home. Especially in the first few hours, your hurt muscle will be weak and easy to hurt again. Stop moving it for a while to help it heal.
2. Apply ice
The best time to use ice on an injury is in the first day or two after it happened. Put an ice pack, a bag of crushed ice, or a bag of frozen vegetables on your injury. Cutting off blood flow to the area will help relieve pain and stop swelling. To keep from getting frostbite, you should never put ice directly on your skin. You should always wrap ice or an icepack in a thin cloth or towel before putting it on the wound for at least apply ice for 15 to 20 minutes, and let your skin cool down between applications.
3. Compress to stop the fluid build-up
Through compression, you can stop fluid from building up on your wound. You can use an elastic bandage and wrap it tightly around your injury. It is also through compressions that you can relieve pain since it prevents you from moving the affected area too much. The bandage might not be enough to keep the injured area entirely still, but it will help support it and remind you to keep it still.
If the bandage makes your skin tingle or numb, remove it and loosen the wrap so that it shouldn’t be so tight that it hurts or makes your blood flow slow. Even light pressure can keep fluid from building up around an injury.
4. Elevate to reduce swelling
When you raise an injury above the level of your heart, fluid can drain away from the area, which helps reduce swelling. If you are unable to raise the affected are above your heart, you can at least try to keep it at the same level as your heart or close to it. Lie down with a pillow or any soft item underneath your buttocks when sitting and lower back when lying down so these areas of your body won’t hurt while elevating.
5. Provide relief
Most sports injuries hurt the most in the first few days after they happen. After that, you might feel pain and tenderness that lasts a few weeks to a few months but worry not because this is considered normal.
You can ease the pain with ice packs and heating pads. A sports cream with medicine can also help alleviate the pain. You can get this kind of cream at a lot of drugstores.
You should still stretch and exercise the injured area even if your symptoms have gone away. A muscle already hurt is more likely to get hurt again. Stretching and light exercise can help keep you from getting hurt again.
If the injury isn’t severe, you can go to a massage therapist in Guelph boost circulation, alleviate pain, and speed up healing. As long as your injury heals the right way, you should be able to return to your regular workouts.
It’s common for athletes, whether they’re amateurs or pros, to get hurt and sustain injuries from time to time. Be sure to get your injuries checked out and treated right away by a professional to see if it works for you or not. Your healthcare provider may refer you to a physiotherapist or chiropractor in Mississauga to give you the right treatment.