Sports injuries are nothing new. Not to the seasoned professional or the recreational player. Injuries and sports are practically synonymous with each other. If and when you are injured it is important to treat the injury right away. Ignoring it will only make the injury become worse. Here’s how to prevent an injury from becoming chronic.
Because the ankle supports the whole body, it is very susceptible to injury and is actually one of the most common parts of the body injured in sports play. Treating an ankle ligament injury properly can prevent it from becoming a chronic injury.
Although it sounds painful, maintaining a range of motion of the ankle is critical. This is because scar tissue that is non-flexible will quickly form at the injury sight. If range of motion isn’t preserved, the ankle may permanently lose some of the range of motion and become chronic. The best way to prevent this from happening is to exercise the ankle.
A common exercise among athletes is to draw each letter of the alphabet with your foot. The larger you can make the letter, the better range of motion you’ll get. Being able to properly balance on the ankle is just as important. For this you can use a Wobble Board, or improvise with a piece of plywood placed on top of a ball that has been almost deflated.
Tennis elbow is another common sports injury. The key to prevent a tennis elbow from becoming chronic is to exercise it once it is healed. Once the pain is gone, and there is no inflammation or restricted movement you know it has healed. Exercise will also help strengthen the elbow and reduce the chance of a repeat injury.
Stretching is the number one way to prevent this injury from becoming chronic. Place your palms together in front of your chest with your fingers just under your chin. Slowly, lower your praying hands toward your waist until you feel a mild stretching under your forearms. Hold for 15 – 20 seconds, and release. The stretch should be controlled and smooth. You may also firmly and continuously squeeze a tennis ball, holding each squeeze for three seconds. Repeat until your muscles are tired but not to the point of pain.
In order to prevent a hamstring injury from becoming chronic it’s important to do two things. First, do nothing until the inflammation has subsided. Limit activity that causes discomfort until the inflammation has gone down. Second, once it has, you can begin gentle stretching and strengthening exercises. The best thing to do is initially follow the RICE therapy.
Rest and limit activity.
Ice every 2 – 3 hours for approximately.
Compress the injury if possible.
Elevate above chest level.
Once you can move the hamstring without discomfort, begin gently stretching and strengthening it with normal exercises. You can return to normal activities once you are pain free, you’ve regained full range of motion, and you’ve regained almost all of your pre-injury strength.
Trudi Buck blogs about how to choose among online MRI programs.