Have you had a recent sporting injury? What did you do? Did you ice it, massage it or try to run it out?
Injuries in sport can be frustrating and upsetting. It is important that you know what you should and shouldn’t be doing after an injury as doing the wrong thing can impact your recovery time.
There are various acronyms for acute sporting management- with the most recognised being RICER and do no HARM. There is also POLICE and more recently PEACE and LOVE. Regardless of the acronym used, the principles are the same. After an acute injury, you need to protect it which often is simply to stop playing. Trying to walk as soon as you are able is important to regain a normal walking pattern and to help with loading the injured tissue. Using a compression bandage, elevating the affected body part and using ice are all helpful in managing any pain and swelling.
Things to avoid in the first two days are using heat, consuming alcohol, massaging the affected area and continuing to run.
These activities will all increase the swelling in the area which can slow down your recovery. There is also evidence that using anti-inflammatory medications (Nurofen, etc) in the first 2 days of an acute injury can slow down recovery time.
If you have had a recent sporting injury, or an injury which is just not getting better, please make an appointment today to see one of our physiotherapists in Keith, Bordertown or Naracoorte.