Fitness Blurbs

Exercise or sports related injuries most often occur from overuse of a muscle, tendon, ligament or joint. Conditions, such as arthritis, also can be aggravated by exercise.

When you experience pain, or injure yourself, stop. Do not try to “work through” the pain because you can make your injury worse. Instead, stop exercising for a few days and follow the routine described below.

The standard first-aid routine for most strains, sprains, and pulls caused by overuse during exercise is rest, ice, compression and elevation.

• Rest: Stop exercising immediately. Don’t put any weight on the affected area for 24 hours.
• Ice: Apply an ice pack to the affected area to reduce swelling. Repeat ice for 20 minutes every hour during the first 24 to 48 hours while awake.
• Compression: Wrap an elastic bandage around the area, being careful not to wrap it so tightly as to interfere with blood flow. Compression also helps control swelling.
• Elevation: Raise the affected joint or limb higher than your heart so that gravity can help prevent blood and other body fluids from collecting at the injury site.

You may want take aspirin or ibuprofen for your pain and help in reducing inflammation. Begin gently stretching the injured area after a couple of days. Be careful not to stretch to the point which it becomes painful, or you could damage the muscle again.

Stop exercising immediately and call 911 if you have any symptoms of a heart attack such as the following:

• A feeling of pressure or fullness, a squeezing sensation, or crushing pain in the center of the chest that lasts more than just a few minutes and is not relieved by rest
• Chest pain that spreads to the shoulders, neck, jaw or arms
• Chest discomfort accompanied by light-headedness, fainting, sweating, nausea or vomiting, cold or clammy skin, or shortness of breath

If you think your injury is serious, or it does not heal after several days with use of the above first-aide, might want to consider having it checked out by your doctor.

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Filed under: Sports Injury