by Katarzyna Radzka

Created on: September 16, 2010

Having a sport injury is one of the worst things that can happen to an athlete or recreational lover of sports. Regardless of the level of sporting ability injuries arise for a number of reasons. Overtraining is a common cause of sport injuries which can cause a lot of pain and discomfort. Ankle sprains, shin splints, knee pain and foot aches are all likely to occur at one point or another. Not warming up before a workout can also lead to injury that’s why it’s always a good idea to warm up the muscles for five to ten minutes before you get started.

If you’re already suffering from a sport injury there are a few things that you can do to ease the symptoms and reduce pain or inflammation so that you can recover as quickly as possible. Leave it for too long and the injury will cause further problems, that’s why it’s important to take immediate action.

1 – Make time for rest. Rest is vital for recovery from any sport injury. Continuing with sport or exercise when you are suffering from an injury can worsen the problem and make the recovery time a lot longer than necessary.

2 – Use ice packs for ten minutes two or three times a day. Place the cold pack where it hurts. This is effective when you suffer from knee pain, swollen ankles, planter fasciitis, and lower back pain. Make sure that the ice doesn’t have direct contact with your skin, wrap it around a tea towel to prevent burns. Ice will cool the area and can reduce inflammation and swelling.

3 – Compression is the next step to help recovery. Wrap the injured area with a bandage so that it prevents the area from swelling too much. The more it swells the longer it’s going to take to recover so make sure you don’t miss this step.

4 – If it’s your lower half of the body that is injured then you should keep it elevated for proper blood flow. Elevation will also help reduce swelling and decrease the recovery time.

5 – When pain persists and it’s more serious than a simple sprain or bruising than it’s important to visit a doctor. Rehabilitation or medication may be prescribed to ease symptoms and speed up your recovery so that you can go back to doing what you love best.

Injuries are a fact of sport and it’s difficult to play or partake in any sport and avoid it. When injury does occur than do everything you can to eliminate it, and then take precautions to avoid further injury.

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