If your life revolves around activities that require physical fitness, then there’s nothing worse than suffering an injury. Unfortunately injuries are part-and-parcel of any sport, no matter the level you perform at. Coming back properly from injury is crucial if you want to get back to your best, so follow these five tips if you want to do just that.
You are not a doctor! A lot of people simply self-diagnose their injuries. Others simply feel that they can deal with it themselves. In many cases, this is the worst possible thing that you can do. You might be tempted to ‘run it off’ or to work your way through the pain barrier, but you could be doing more harm than good. If you are in pain, and that pain does not go away, then you need to be seeing a physician.
What went wrong? Sometimes the cause of an injury is obvious, especially if you fell or were in a collision. However, sometimes the causes are not so obvious – perhaps a ‘niggly’ pain has grown and grown until it is now unbearable? If you are able to identify what happened, then this will aid in your recovery. You will know which activities to avoid as you work your way back up to full fitness.
Get an expert opinion. The best person to help with your rehabilitation is a sports injury specialist, or your doctor. Work with them so you can devise a recovery program. Explain to them the level at which you were performing, as that is the level you will of course be hoping to return to. A specialist may also be able to identify aspects of your training that you’re doing wrong and that will slow your recovery.
Give your body a chance. It probably took a long time for you to get up to the level of fitness you were at prior to your injury, but it shouldn’t take that long again to get back there. You can help your body recover by treating it in the best way possible so it can concentrate on repairing itself. Devise a diet plan that is full of nutrients, and make sure you are properly hydrated at all times. Take supplements such as glutamine, and stay away from alcohol and sugar and go easy on the carbs.
Don’t give up! Coming back from injury can be demoralising. You probably love the activities you were performing when you suffered your injury, and not being able to do them can see you lose focus. Remember, proper rehabilitation takes time, and injury is simply something that happens to even the best of us. You will get back there – if you rehabilitated properly. Don’t try and rush back else you could make things worse.
Once you are fit again, maintain your rehab program for a few weeks. This will strengthen your body, and you could find that when you do return, you’ll feel fitter and stronger than you ever did!
