Injuries have a funny way of striking right when you’re in your prime. Your heart breaks, not so much from the pain but from the realization of what lies ahead: a long road to recovery along which much of the progress you’ve made towards your fitness goals will be lost.
While your body does need time to heal, it’s not all bad news. There are some key things you can do to get yourself back up and running in record time. Read on to discover the five essentials to rapid injury recovery:
1. Bring the Professionals to You
It’s not until you have an injury that you realize just how much strain everyday tasks can place on the affected joint, muscle or bone. Even the seemingly simple process of getting into your car or taking public transport can become a mission that puts you at risk of re-injuring yourself. The best way to save yourself this drama is to sign up for mobile physiotherapy. You’ll get a trained therapist delivered to your door along with all the necessary equipment to take care of your rehabilitation safely at home.
2. Get Plenty of Sleep
While physiotherapy is key to rapid recovery, if you’re not getting adequate rest, you’ll be hampering your progress. It can be hard to sleep when you’re going through the pain and discomfort of healing an injury. However, finding a way to do so is vital as it’s when your body is at rest that it does the bulk of its healing. Talk to your doctor and physiotherapist about pain management and bed set-up options that will optimize your chances of getting quality sleep consistently throughout your recovery period.
3. Stay off the Booze
It’s easy to get a bit down in the dumps when your life has been put on hold by an injury. However, the last thing you want to do is drown your sorrows in a beer (or seven). It may help your mood in the moment, but alcohol can be problematic during the healing phase in a number of different ways. Putting aside the potential for re-injuring yourself (or scoring a brand new injury) if you get legitimately drunk and your coordination goes out the window, there’s also the simple fact that alcohol increases inflammation in the body.
4. Cut Back on Sugar and Caffeine
While sugar and caffeine won’t have you stumbling around like alcohol will, they too are known to create inflammation in the body while interfering with sleep quality. In everyday life, most of us are pretty well equipped to deal with a few extra bursts of inflammation here and there. However, when you’re recovering from an injury, your body’s resources are already heavily taxed.Therefore, anything you can do to take the pressure off will allow for the full force of your natural healing capabilities to be directed towards your injury.
5. Stay active
The way you do this depends on the nature of your injury. However, it is vital for both your physical and mental health to stay as active as you safely can during recovery. If you create a workout plan with your physiotherapist and stick to it, you’ll keep your active habits and healthy mindset going throughout your recovery and will be ready to hit the ground running as soon as you are able.
Sustaining an injury can feel like a monumental setback. However, if you enlist the help of medical professionals, ensure you get plenty of rest, cut back on inflammatory substances and stay (safely) active, you’ll be back on track in no time.
