If you exercise, you may have had an injury or two before. Injuries are the dark side of exercising! After an injury, some people may quit exercising, while others rethink and start exercising right after recovery. However, the most difficult issue is safely returning to exercise. And, yes, exercising after injury requires certain precautions?
4 Tips for returning to exercise after injury
1. Consult your doctor first
When you are injured, you should see a doctor to get the proper diagnosis and treatment plan. Bear in mind that each injury is unique and the treatment varies according to the needs of the body and the activities you participate in. Schedule an appointment at Health and Style Medical Center now to get help from the specialist doctor and return to get back into your activities again.
2. Don’t rush back quickly
It takes time to recover to your pre-injury fitness level. For example, if you are away from sports for a week due to a foot injury, plan to take two weeks to return to where you were before the injury.
Because the healing time can affect your level more than the injury. As a result, not only do you lose strength, coordination, and flexibility at the site of the injury, but you also lose fitness. This all makes it common to recover from an injury and then get injured in a different location! For example, injury to the right knee increases the weight and load on the left side, which exposes you to another injury!
3. Start with small goals
The journey of 1000 miles begins with one step. Gradually return to exercise after injury, start with easy and simple stretching and strength exercises. Assure that you are able to do your daily activities and tasks before you start exercising. Certainly, if your knee hurts when washing dishes or climbing stairs, it will hurt if you go four miles.
Before loading the joint, be sure there is no discomfort and that you have a complete range of motion.
4. Don’t ignore the pain
Pain means to many of us that we are getting better and better. Some of us even enjoy the physical and mental challenges of feeling uncomfortable when exercising, but after an injury is not the time to overcome the pain.
When the movement becomes easier and the pain decreases, you can start stretching and strengthening exercises. But make sure you don’t try to do too many tasks too quickly as this may delay recovery. Start by doing a few simple repetitions of exercises before gradually increasing the amount you do.