Bouncing Back After an Injury at the Gym
There’s nothing much fun about suffering an injury at the gym. It’s natural that you’ll want to bounce back as quickly as possible.
Stop When the Pain Starts
As soon as you start to feel an abnormal pain in a particular part of your body, you should stop exercising. The old cliche of working out is is that there’s no gain without pain. But that kind of attitude is not at all helpful when it comes to keeping your body in good shape. In fact, it can cause you a lot of damage. You need to get to know your body over time. Sometimes, you will feel the burn, and it usually won’t be an injury. If you keep at it, you will learn when your body is hurt and when it is just tired. These small differences are very important to recognise.
Put Ice on the Injury and Rest
The next thing to do is to get ice on the area of your body that hurts. Do this as quickly as you possibly can because it might help to limit the size of the problem. It helps by reducing the level of inflammation and swelling that often occurs after an injury in the gym. Never begin your treatment with a heat pack; ice should always be what you start with. Get your hands on some ice packs and then use them as much as you can. This will at least keep your injury under control until you can get advice from a medical expert.
Follow All Medical Advice You Receive
If the initial rest and the ice haven’t fixed your problem for you, you will need to seek some medical attention. This will allow you to get to the bottom of the issue if you’re not sure what’s wrong. Most people who work out a lot know their bodies inside out. So, if you’re not sure what’s going on, it’s a sign that something needs to be done. When you get the advice from a doctor, make sure you listen to it. Don’t be tempted to think that you know better than the doctor because you probably don’t. If they tell you to not do any physical activity for a couple of months, you need to do that, however frustrating it might be.
Prevent the Injury Recurring When You Go Back to Normal
When you are finally coming to the end of your recovery, you will need to think about how you can return. This is one of the most important stages of the process, and it definitely should not be rushed. If you rush, the injury will recur, and you will be left on the sidelines for even longer, and that’s not what you want, is it? Make sure you get the all-clear from your doctor before you hit the gym again. And then make sure that you warm up very carefully and don’t overdo it to begin with. Ease yourself back into your old routine over a period of a couple of months. This is the most sensible approach to take.
