8 Tips for Recovery after Injury

The human body is a marvelous machine. It’s incredibly resilient, flexible, and can bounce back from injury. However, recovery after injury isn’t always easy – it can be challenging, painful, and time-consuming. If you’ve ever had to deal with an injury, you know how hard it can be, whether you have a strain or tear in your tendons/muscles, broken bones, or any other kind of injury that leaves you unable to move freely for several days. As injuries are a part of life, here are 8 helpful tips to facilitate your recovery after injury.

Change Your Diet

It’s true what they say – you are what you eat. What you eat affects your body’s recovery after injury. Certain foods (think healthy!) help the body recover from illness and injury, while others can set you back. A few examples of helpful, healing foods are blueberries (which contain anthocyanins, which can reduce inflammation and swelling), ginger (which is excellent for treating nausea and helping to relieve pain), and turmeric (another great option for reducing inflammation).  Coconut oil is also helpful with healing, especially when dealing with an injury to your muscles or ligaments.

Stretch

Depending on your kind of injury, you may need to stretch regularly. For example, if you injure a muscle, periodic stretching can help to speed up the healing process. Stretching increases blood flow in this area and allows for faster healing. However, if you suffer from a serious injury like a broken bone, you need to be careful about stretching as it can cause you a lot of pain. Speak with your doctor about what type of stretching you should be doing and how often you should be doing it.

Regular stretching can help to improve your mobility and flexibility and makes it easier for you to recover after injury. It is also a great way to reduce the risk of injuries in the future. Stretching can be done at any time of the day and doesn’t take much time. Whether you perform static stretching (stretching by holding a certain position) or dynamic stretching (more vigorous, controlled movements that warm up the body), it will improve your flexibility and get you on the road to recovery faster.

Set Goals

Setting goals while recovering from an injury can improve your chances of fully recovering and returning to everyday life. Goals allow you to focus on recovery after injury and improves motivation. Start with small, easy goals right after injury and work your way up to more challenging goals. Goal setting often results in a more successful, speedier recovery.

Massage And Physical Therapy

Physical therapy and massage are two of the most common treatments for sports injuries. Unsurprisingly, they are incredibly effective for treating muscle and joint pain and improving injuries. Physical therapy is beneficial in that it reduces pain, improves mobility, strengthens accessory muscles, improves balance, and aids in recovery. Massage can help to reduce soreness and swelling in your muscles and joints, improves circulation, strengthens your immune response, as well as relaxes muscles, making it easier to move. Sometimes muscle or ligament injuries require sports massage, which breaks down scar tissue and knots in your muscles, which increases blood flow to the area and boosts your overall recovery.

Don’t Be Afraid to Medicate

For some, treating an injury with medication is not desired. Even if you choose a more natural approach and avoid medication, know that there are some meds that can improve the speed of recovery after injury. Whether it be reducing the amount of inflammation and swelling, decreasing pain, and/or helping to heal tissue, medication can genuinely help with the recovery process. In addition, different medications, whether prescription or over the counter drugs, work with different injuries, so be sure to talk to your doctor about what’s right for your recovery.

Take Care Of Your Mental Well-Being

Injuries can often make you feel alone and sad. You may now think your goals are out of reach and the current limitations of body movement and activity have you feeling lost. This is why it is so important to take care of your mental well-being while you are recovering. You can do this in various ways, by talking to a friend or loved one, reading or listening to music, taking warm baths, or practicing meditation. Realizing that this is most likely a temporary state in your health. Now is the time to find new activities which bring joy can ease your anxiety, stress, and tension. Don’t beat yourself up for the injury. Learn from the moment and put your energy into your recovery.

Try Foam Rolling

Foam rolling is a great way to help with muscle recovery after injury. Not only can it ease any pain and discomfort that you may be feeling in your muscles, it can facilitate healing by bringing blood to the area of injury. Increasing blood flow brings in fresh nutrients and repair cells, while removing cellular waste products and decreasing inflammation. Foam rolling can also help improve flexibility and can be a great way to prevent injuries from happening again. Lastly, foam rolling can also help with other irritating physical issues, such as restless leg syndrome.

Protect Yourself Legally If The Injury Wasn’t Your Fault

If you have been injured due to someone else’s negligence, you may be able to claim compensation. This means that you may be able to receive money, helping to pay for your medical bills and other costs related to your injury. This can help you focus on your recovery and get back to your everyday life as quickly as possible, with less stress and worry about how to pay for things.  For injuries where there is means to make a personal injury claim, such as in car accidents, you should consider contacting a car accident lawyer or a lawyer with experience in your type of injury. 

To make the legal process easier and less stressful, first keep a notebook to record everything about your injury, including your symptoms and how long you have them. This shows your doctor how severe your condition is and how it impacts on your daily life. Second, stay organized. Keep a folder or notebook with all your essential documents – such as your doctors’ notes, bills, and any letters you receive from your insurance company. This will make it easier to stay on top of everything and reduce stress.

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Recovery after injury can be cumbersome, time-consuming, and emotionally draining. Following these easy 8 tips not only can improve your recovery process, but may also speed up the process, allowing you to get back on your feet sooner.

Do you have any helpful tips for sports injuries? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Travels!

Julie

Medical Disclaimer: The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Information provided on this web site is for general information purposes only.