Ouch! We’ve all seen that athlete bite the dust so hard it makes the onlooking crowd gasp in unison. There’s nothing like watching an athlete compete, whether professional or amateur; the physical excursion and skill is something to be admired. But those falls, wow! Like pro athletes, weekend warriors like you and me also get injured. However, we don’t have a team of professional trainers around to help minimize the damage of our injuries and immediately begin the healing process. Be it a weekend, an out-of-town event, the office is closed; sometimes you have to wait a few hours or a few days to the doc. But that doesn’t mean you have to be in pain the whole time. Today, we’ll give you some tips on sports injury treatments you can do until you can make it to the doctor or physical therapist.
- Ice: ice should be applied to the injury as soon as possible. The ice helps to reduce the swelling, constrict blood from leaching into surrounding tissue, it also helps reduce pain.
- Rest: to avoid further injuring yourself, rest the injured area until you can get to physical therapy or see a doctor.
- Heat: to help relax and loosen tissues and to stimulate blood flow to the areas, use heart. Heat is typically used for chronic issues, such as on going muscle spasms, muscle tightness, and chronic tension in back, shoulders, and necks.
- Compression: compression is a great sports injury treatment as it will help decrease swelling. Caution: avoid wrapping too tightly which can cause more swelling below the affected area.
- Elevation: elevate the injured area to keep swelling down. If you’re feeling like a go getter, ice while elevating.
- Epsom salts: Epsom salts are a natural muscle relaxant that also draws excess fluids out of the tissues, reducing swelling. Draw a warm bath and dissolve ½ cup of Epsom salts in the water. Soak for 15 minutes or until the water has cooled, up to three times per week.