Injury Recovery and Rehabilitation Exercises | Relax The Back

The recovery period after an injury is most crucial. Sometimes even mild to moderate injuries can become very severe if not looked after properly. Whether your injury is related to sports or any other accident, it takes the same time and effort to rehabilitate and become better.

Once you’ve visited the doctor to rule out any significant problems, it’s pretty simple to take care of yourself or a loved one at home. All you need to know is some basic recovery strategies, and we are here to tell you about them.

Do not move

Your muscles need rest as after an injury; they are vulnerable and weak. At least for the first few hours, rest as much as you can if you want to start your healing process right away. Just refrain from moving or doing any heavy-duty work, and if you’re going to move, see here.

Ice it

By applying ice to your injury, you will decrease the injured area’s blood flow, helping you process the pain better. Icing also helps with reducing inflammation and swelling. Make sure to not apply the ice directly to the skin and be extra very careful while handling it. Use a thin cloth to create a layer between the ice and the skin. So, grab yourself an ice pack and use it.

Press it down

Compressing your injured area will prevent it from swelling by minimizing fluid build-up. Take a large bandage and wrap it firmly around your injured area. If you feel uncomfortable with the tightness of the bandage, then redo it until you feel better.

This would not only make your pain heal but also will keep you conscious about not moving your injured area too much as mobility might also cause the injury to become problematic.

Elevate

Elevating your injury helps reduce fluid build-up. Try to raise your injured area above your heart. If you can’t raise it above your heart, then make sure that it is at least at heart level. If the injury is of the back of your hips, then you can use pillows to elevate.

Diet and exercise

Your diet should always be balanced and enriched with nutrients. When you are injured, you need to put more healthy food into your body to use the energy to help you heal faster.

Moving on, after you feel that you’ve had sufficient rest, you can start again with light stretches and low-intensity exercise to make your muscles function again. Don’t do this too soon; give your injury to heal by resting first.

Mental health

Injuries can often leave one traumatized. Either because of the incident or due to the recovery part, which is usually spent alone and in bed. Events like these in life can make one feel very anxious. Make sure you talk to a friend and have someone around you to help feel better.

If you feel better mentally, naturally, you will recover faster. Just know that with your physical health and your mental health are equally important.