How to Recover from a Sports Injury

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How to Recover from a Sports Injury
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• Recently suffered a sports injury? Taking the
  right recovery steps could ensure that you heal
  properly and that youre able to continue
  partaking in your sport in the future. Here are
  just several steps to helping you recover from a
  sports injury.

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Diagnose the Injury

• Its important to get the injury properly
  diagnosed so that you can take the right recovery
  steps. Some sports injuries may be obvious such
  as sprained ankle, but others may be harder to
  identify. There are sites online where you can
  read up on injury symptoms such as these rotator
  cuff tear symptoms, possibly allowing you to
  self-diagnose yourself. In other cases, it could
  be worth seeing a doctor to confirm an injury
  especially if the pain if affecting movement.

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Use Cold and Hot Treatment

• The cold and the heat are great for easing
  inflammation, which can help the healing process.
  Cold treatments should be used directly after an
  injury occurs for the first couple days this
  could include using an icepack or a bag of frozen
  vegetables to press lightly on the affected area.
  After two or three days, you should then move
  onto heat treatments such as using a warm flannel
  or taking a hot bath. Cold will reduce initial
  swelling, whilst heat then relaxes muscles and
  reduces long-term inflammation.

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See a Sports Physiotherapist

• If youre passionate about your sport, it could
  be well worth seeing a sports physiotherapist so
  that you can get some tips on how to recover.
  These professionals specialise in treating sports
  injuries and may be able to recommend stretches
  and exercises to help you return full motion more
  quickly. They may also be able to perform sports
  massages to help loosen up tight muscles or
  release trapped nerves that could be causing
  pain. Sports massages arent like regular
  massages and tend to be quite painful anyone
  who has had a massage for shin splints will know
  this however they will reduce long-term pain.

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Avoid Activities That Could Aggravate It

• A doctor or a physiotherapist will usually
  recommend temporarily abstaining from certain
  activities that could aggravate your injury. This
  could mean taking a break from sports for a few
  weeks or months. Some people who are heavily
  involved in sports find this hard to do, but it
  is important for ensuring that you heal properly.
  You dont want to turn a temporary injury into
  something permanent that ruins your chances of
  ever returning to the sport.

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Be Realistic About Short-Term Goals

• One of the hardest challenges can be having to
  cancel short-term goals. Perhaps you were
  planning on running a marathon in a few months
  and can no longer compete. Or perhaps you had an
  active trip abroad planned that is no longer
  possible. Its important that youre realistic
  about still achieving these goals you dont
  want to carry on ahead and aggravate your injury
  only to ruin the experience.

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Keep Exercising

• Whilst you may not be able to compete in your
  favourite sports, it is important to still be
  active after a sports injury. Low-impact
  exercises such as swimming, yoga and slow walking
  are often recommended and can help with the
  healing process by stopping muscles from seizing
  up. Exercise could also allow you to maintain
  your current fitness levels, which could be
  important when returning to you sport in the
  future.

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Eat the Right Foods

• Your diet may also help you to recover faster.
  Protein-rich foods are great for helping with
  muscle repair these include meats, eggs and
  soy. Its important to also get fiber and
  vitamins into your diet. Try to avoid too much
  sugar, which can make inflammation worse.