When you’re injured, perhaps because of an incident at work, an accident in your car, or maybe you were working out at the gym or simply fell when you were walking, you’ll want to heal as quickly as possible. Being in pain, particularly when it’s your joints that have been damaged, is a terrible thing, and not only does it hurt, but it means you can’t be productive in other areas of your life. You can’t work as well as you did, you can’t sleep properly, you can’t enjoy spending time with your friends and family, and hobbies may have to be put to one side while you heal.
Although the first thought you have might be to check out Leinart Law Firm to get help when it comes to compensation after your injury – and this is undoubtedly a good idea – you mustn’t forget that, in order to reduce your pain and get back to your normal life, you also need to work out how to help your body heal more quickly. If you can do this, the impact on your life will be much less problematic, and you’ll be able to forget about your injury and the trauma associated with it a lot more easily. Read on for some valuable tips on what you can do to help a joint injury heal more quickly.
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Cryotherapy
If the muscles around the joint are seriously swollen and you don’t want to chance a professional sports massage, then you might want to try cryotherapy instead. Cryotherapy is the name for using ice to reduce pain and swelling. However, it won’t be a simple case of leaving ice on the affected area until it is numb. What you really need to do is to place the ice on the site for 15 minutes every hour – this speeds up the healing in the most efficient way. Be careful not to put the ice directly onto the skin, or you risk receiving ice burns, making the situation much worse. Instead, wrap the ice in a towel or put it in a specially designed ice pack.
Hydrotherapy
Using warm water can really help with joint pain because it stimulates the blood flow and creates good circulation, which in turn encourages the tissue and muscles to heal. Resting in a warm bath can be the perfect way to soothe the pain, and it will relax you too, which helps with the entire healing process.
If you use some aromatherapy oils, play some music, listen to an audiobook or read one, you can also use this time to distract yourself from the pain, which is also helpful. If your brain doesn’t think the joint injury is too much of an issue because you’re not thinking about it, the pain will reduce.
Rest
Rest and relaxation isn’t just something that is ‘nice’ to do – it also helps with the healing process. Resting allows your body’s energy stores to regenerate, which leads to the natural healing process. The more you rest, the faster the healing will happen. Ideally, you will have a nap or go to bed early and get more sleep than usual because sleep is the perfect time for the body to heal itself; it’s not using its energy for anything else, so it can focus its attention on the healing process.
If you don’t want to sleep or you’re finding that too hard because of the pain, but you think you’re going to be bored just sitting around and trying to relax, don’t worry; you don’t have to do nothing at all. As long as your body is still, you can keep your mind active. You can find plenty to do that will still allow you to rest yet keep yourself entertained; read a book, listen to music, play games, knit or crochet, or watch a good movie, for example.
Exercise
It may sound counter-productive to suggest doing more exercise to help with a muscle or joint recovery situation, but in some cases, it really can work. Not all exercise is good for those injured areas, though, so you will need to check with experts as to which types of exercise you should do to help you, rather than cause you more pain and a longer recovery time.
Once you have spoken to your doctor or physical therapist, you can start gently exercising under their care. It could be hard to do this at first, especially if the joint is stiff, but some perseverance and going a little further every day can work wonders. Eventually, when the joint is used sensibly and often, the body will realize that it is needed, and the recovery process will be much quicker. Plus, exercise releases hormones that block pain, so you’ll feel better after exercise anyway.
Eat Right
If you eat the right kinds of foods, your body will speed up its natural healing process. You’ll need foods that contain plenty of vitamin C (citrus fruits, kiwi, broccoli, and berries are good sources of that) and vitamin A (carrots, sweet potatoes, and spinach, for example) because they help the body to fight infection.
It might be tempting to fill up on unhealthy snacks and junk food because you’re in pain and feel unable to cook a meal, or because you want something comforting, but this won’t help you heal, and it could even make things worse as your body won’t be getting the nutrients it needs.
Take Supplements
Some supplements can promote much faster healing, and you can take them as a capsule, pill, or even as a powder that you can add to a smoothie or glass of juice or water. Find supplements that contain amino acids as this helps reduce muscle loss known as atrophy, which can happen if you have an injury and then are unable to use the joint or limb very much afterward.
Vitamins C and E help with the formation of bones and cartilage, and they also help boost the immune system. Flavonoids are also useful when it comes to promoting good healing – you can get them from berries and grapes, for example, and they reduce inflammation.
Have A Massage
A sports massage works on the muscles around the injury rather than on the joint itself. It relieves the pain of the injury, and it also makes the muscles stronger, which means there is less chance that the injury will be repeated once it is healed. A liniment oil will be used to allow for smoother movement and also to protect and hydrate the skin. If there is swelling, the massage will need to be a light one, but if the swelling has already gone down, then the massage can be a little heavier.
Remember that although friends might offer to help you with a massage, it must be done by a professional. No matter how good their intentions are, an amateur without the proper training might cause the pain to resurface and the injury to take longer to heal.
Take Medication
Not everyone likes the idea of taking medication to help them when they are in pain or need to heal, but it can sometimes be the best idea. Taking anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen or muscle relaxants to prevent spasms can ease discomfort, and although it won’t speed up the process of healing, it will make that downtime feel much less painful.
If you’re unsure about what kind of medication to take, or you’re worried about taking it in general, it’s best to speak to your doctor. They will be able to prescribe the right drugs, or they might suggest supplements would be better, or over-the-counter medication instead.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapists can definitely help you, especially when it comes to more significant injuries. It is a physical therapist’s job to deal in muscle and joint recovery, which means that there is probably no better professional to consult if you want to know how to heal faster and stronger than ever. They may be able to recommend a course of treatment for you to deal with yourself, or they may suggest that you come to them for treatment. Whatever they suggest, it is vital to listen as they certainly know what they are talking about.
Wearing Compression Items
You can wear compression items around the problematic joints to restrict movement but still allow you to carry out your day-to-day activities. This way, you don’t have to take (much) time off work, for example, but you also won’t do any further damage to your injured joints. You need to make sure you’re wearing the right size because if the compression garment is too loose, it won’t work, and you risk damaging yourself through overexertion. If it is too tight, you will restrict the blood flow and cause problems with your circulation, which will certainly not help to heal you. When you have the right size, these compression garments will help to stimulate the oxygen to be delivered to your muscles, which speeds up healing.
