Sports Then and Now

There are many different methods for treating your sports injury from over-the-counter pills to physical therapy. Discovering regular treatment options can be especially helpful, such as anti-inflammatory medications, and alternative treatments, such as water spas. Below are a few treatments to improve your health.

Hot/Cold Packs

A hot or cold pack is the easiest, safest method used to reduce an injury’s pain and inflammation. Contrast therapy is the process of alternating heat with cold every few moments to improve the recovery process. The heat expands the blood vessels and increases circulation to the injured site while the coldness reduces the pain and swelling.

Massages

Sports massaging is recommended to relieve stress and tension in damaged muscles and joints. This is a treatment of physical therapy that is common for people with neck, back, and shoulder pain. Many injuries can cause inflammation, so it’s important to be delicate when treating muscle pain. Massaging relieves pain, reduces tension, and increases the range of motion. As a result, the injury heals faster and reduces scar tissue.

Rest

Long periods of rest are recommended after a sports injury occurs. Rest gives the body a greater opportunity to heal and recover faster. Exercising and heavy work could worsen the damage of the injury and delay its recovery times.

Exercise

Some exercises are gentle and careful enough to be safe and effective for injured athletes. Movement is important to relieve muscle or joint stiffness, reduce the formation of scar tissue and increase blood circulation to the injury. Exercising can be as simple as stretching out limbs or stretching them in circular motions.

Injection Treatment

Severe pain and inflammation are treated with various kinds of injections. The injection of medication is administered directly into the damaged site for faster action and healing. It’s important to speak with a medical expert to determine if injection treatment is right for you.

Medications

Over-the-counter medications are available to treat pain and inflammation. These treatments reduce the levels of stress and discomfort while you recover from an injury. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs block the production of certain chemicals in the body and work to relieve pain.

Medications come in the form of pills, gels, roll-on applicators, patches, etc. Stronger painkillers can only be prescribed by a doctor.

There are all kinds of solutions for every type of sports injury. Immediate treatments include the use of hot and cold packs while long-term solutions are physical therapy exercises. You need both types of treatments to promote fast-acting healing and reduce permanent damage to your injury. You also want to remain active and in training to compete again.