Each day in America, sprain their ankle. Muscle injuries can bring the physical activities you love to do to a screeching halt.
There is nothing more frustrating than having to miss events because of injured muscles. And it’s even more important to know what to do to start recovering quickly and get back to the activities you love.
So give your injured muscles a break and keep reading this guide. You’ll learn about the common types of muscle injuries and how to recover fast!
Types of Muscle Injuries
Did you know there are in the human body? And there are billions more all over your body, right down to the cellular level.
Muscle strains are one of the most common types of muscle injuries. A muscle strain is when you overstretch your muscles and tear or damage the muscle fibers as a result.
You’ll usually feel specific symptoms when you have a muscle strain like:
- Pain
- Tenderness
- Redness
- Bruising
- Swelling
- Weakness
Examples of common muscle injuries include rotator cuff tears, hamstring strain, and groin strain.
Sports injuries are a common reason muscle strain occurs. And you don’t have to be a professional athlete to be at risk for a sports injury.
You’re at risk for sports injuries if you haven’t been active for a while and don’t warm up properly before the big event. It’s easier than you think to strain your muscles.
Sometimes you strain your muscle so much that a sprain occurs. A sprain is when a muscle pulls to the point it tears. A sprain can range from mild to severe and take months to heal completely.
Muscle Recovery
Dealing with pain from a muscle injury is challenging. But there are ways to speed up your recovery process and prevent more damage after a muscle injury.
Immediately after a muscle injury, you need rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE)
- Rest your muscle for a few days
- Ice immediately 20 minutes at a time and repeat every hour
- Wrap the area with a bandage
- If possible, elevate the muscle above the heart level
It’s essential to reduce inflammation too. Many people choose to take an over-the-counter pain reliever like Advil, but you can also go the more natural route and drink or parsley and ginger juice.
Next, you need to stay hydrated. When you’re dehydrated, your body can’t heal itself as well naturally. So boost up your water intake and give your muscles what they need.
You should also get more sleep. Sleep is when your body heals itself, and rest is a massive factor in muscle recovery.
You’ll also want to increase your protein intake to help build and repair your muscles. You can even add protein supplements to your diet instead of making significant changes.
No matter how minor your muscle injury is, you still need to take your recovery seriously. If your muscle pain hasn’t improved after a week of home treatments, then see your doctor.
Muscle Injuries
Now that you know all about muscle injuries and how to recover from them, you’ll know what to do next time.
Our muscles are essential, and chronic pain from injuries can last a lifetime. The more you know, the healthier you’ll be overall.
If you enjoyed this guide, check out our blog to learn about other health tips and much more!