Injuries can be as frustrating as they are painful. Especially when you’re an athlete, you want to get back out there as quickly as possible! However, sometimes your body might not seem like its cooperating with your timeline. While it’s always important to remain patient with yourself and give yourself time to heal, there may be some things you can do to help decrease your recovery time from an injury. Along with following your doctor’s advice and treatment guidelines, here are some things that you can do at home to help yourself heal up quickly and get back to it:
Rest
The most important thing you can do when dealing with an injury is to rest. It might be hard, especially if you’re used to being super active all the time – but if you don’t take it easy then you could risk exacerbating the injury and just making your recovery longer, harder, and more painful. This means staying off the injured area and not using it as much as possible. You may have to spend some time on the couch watching Netflix and have family members help you out with basic tasks, but it will all be worth it in the end.
Rehab
Another way that you can decrease recovery time from an injury is to actively rehab it based on your doctor’s advice. Going to physical therapy might not exactly be your idea of a good time, but it’s really important to help get your muscles and/or joint back to normal. Even if you are planning on slowly easing into some activities at home, a specialist will be able to give you specific exercises to help maximize your time and also use other therapies to help your recovery as well.
Heat & Cooling
You’ve probably heard of this method before – but using heat and ice on your injured area can really help with your recovery time and help you feel better in the meantime. The exact way that you do this is really up to you and your doctor. Sometimes, heat isn’t advised at least in the beginning. Other times, it’s best to alternate between heat and ice. You can either do this through warm compresses and actual ice packs or you could use topical treatments that have the same effect.
Compression
Based on your injury, compression could be another way to help you recover quickly. Following the advice of your doctor, compression can help keep swelling at bay and also help to immobilize the area and allow it to heal without risking further injury. This can mean anything from a full-on cast, to a brace, or even just a simple wrap that you can put on yourself at home. In any case, make sure that it’s not too tight that it prevents blood flow.
Elevation
Elevating the injured area is another great recovery trick to reduce swelling. Some areas may be harder to elevate than others but don’t be afraid to use some extra pillows or even slings to keep the injury up and out of the way.
Anti-Inflammatory Supplements
Finally, the last way that you can decrease your recovery time is through anti-inflammatory supplements. The best anti-inflammatory products include things like CBD and turmeric that can help treat the pain and underlying inflammation from injuries. This all-natural method can be effective and is even safe to use in the long-term compared to things like painkillers and steroids.
Treating your injury with home remedies and natural supplements can be a great way to decrease your recovery time and get you back to feeling 100% in no time! It’s going to be a process but with the right techniques, products, and attitude you can come back better than ever.
