How to Treat and Prevent Workout Injuries

It is certainly great to be focused on your fitness goals but if you do not focus on the exercise itself, an injury can prevent you from returning to the gym tomorrow. Even the most innocuous at first glance injury can cost you dearly and erase all the hard work you have put into your achievements. That’s why it is very important to follow the basic rules for safe exercise and familiarise yourself with tried and true tips on how to prevent workout injuries or treat them if they happened.

Prevention Is Key

It doesn’t matter whether you are a newbie or a seasoned pro, injuries can happen to virtually anyone regardless of the fitness level and sport or workout type. The spectrum of the most common workout-related injuries is pretty wide, ranging from shin splint and tendinitis to sprained ankles and strained muscles. In addition to that, knees come as one of the most vulnerable spots that are easy to hurt.

The prevention of injuries starts with incredibly simple yet effective steps and if you follow them constantly, rest assured you have done your best to avoid eventual accidents and their unpleasant consequences. Keep in mind that workouts themselves are just part of the plot, hence the “before” and “after” certainly play not a less crucial role.

Do you drink plenty of water before and after exercising? Do you provide your body with enough protein and amino acids to help it quickly recover from demanding workouts? According to experts from BestHealth, collagen peptides are considered one of the best ways to strengthen joints and muscles, as well as improve overall bone health. This type of protein is also deemed essential for reducing pain caused by injuries and speeding up the process of recovery.

How To Prevent Injuries

Let’s take a close look at the basics of injury prevention. Chances are you’ve already heard about some of these rules, still set aside just a couple of minutes to brush on them. Believe us, they look very simple but they do work.

  • Never skip a warm-up – if you fail to warm-up your body properly, you risk ending up with a serious injury, especially if you are going to lift weights or perform some demanding moves.

  • Do your exercise correctly – make sure to learn the correct way of doing your exercises. If you have any doubts, consult your trainer.

  • Be a slow starter – mind your fitness level and always start slowly with a new workout, take it step by step.

  • Listen to your body – if you do not feel fit, skip your gym session. Also, do not overtrain as the results will be just the opposite of what you are expecting.

  • Do not train too often – if you are not a professional athlete, be careful with your training schedule. Pay attention to your muscles: while it’s okay to feel soreness the next day after an intensive workout, sudden pain is a sure sign you have to stop doing that exercise immediately.

How To Treat Workout Injuries

How To Treat Workout Injuries

As already mentioned, injuries can happen to anyone, even to people who do everything right and make every effort to avoid them. Although we sincerely hope you won’t be the one to develop a workout injury, it is always better to be prepared and know how to react and what to do. So, in the case you get injured, stick with these guidelines to minimize harm, and set yourself for the fastest recovery.

  • Do not make things worse – ice the injury immediately after it happened to lessen inflammation. To reduce swelling, elevate the injured place and apply a compression bandage if needed. Get rest.

  • Ease pain – use nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications to reduce pain and inflammation but just for a couple of days. If the pain is still here after that period, go to see your doctor.

  • Be patient – the majority of workout injuries usually heal on their own but it can take up to a month. However, the general recommendation is not to wait for more than a week if things are not getting better.

  • Make sure you are fully recovered – do not get back to workouts too early, if you are afraid to lose shape, try some low-impact activity, walking is a great idea. At least one week without pain is mandatory for starting with exercises again, slowly, of course.

Just as with many other things in life, it is much easier to prevent injuries that treat them. Whatever your fitness goals, an injury is hardly one of them, hence you have a really good reason to follow these simple rules.