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When you head to the gym, you probably hope that you’ll leave feeling like a million bucks, basking in that post-workout glow you always hear about, and enjoying just the right amount of muscle ache. Unfortunately, while that’s probably your experience the vast majority of the time, a single wrong move, ambitious weight, or clumsy stretch could actually see you leaving with an injury that leads you to limp, or clutch your arm tightly to yourself as you go.
It isn’t exactly the post-workout glory of your imaginings. It’s also an issue that could go on for far longer than those usual aches and pains, and that’s a potential problem if you’ve got work, kids, and other commitments.
So, what can you do? Well, acting quickly and understanding an injury of this nature is key to easing your pain and ensuring a fast recovery. That’s why we’ve put together a must-have five-step guide for dealing with any workout injury when it arises. Let’s get into it!
Step 1: Use the P.R.I.C.E. method
It doesn’t take a genius to work out whether you’ve got an exercise injury. Your body will certainly let you know a thing or two about it! But you probably don’t have the first clue about what to do in this situation. Unfortunately, those first 24-48 hours can be crucial for how things play out from here, meaning that you definitely can’t afford to take a ‘wait and see’ approach.
That’s where a little something called the P.R.I.C.E.method comes in handy. This is a general guideline for injury care that can make a huge difference to your symptoms, the severity of your injury, and the recovery timeline you can expect to face. In other words, it’s definitely worth keeping in mind!
The acronym stands for –
+ Protection: Avoid weight-bearing
+ Rest: Try not to use it immediately after injury
+ Ice: Apply a cold pack for around 15-20 minutes each hour
+ Compression: Use either a bandage or an ankle, wrist, or shoulder brace to compress the injured area.
+ Elevation: Keep the affected limb above heart level
Doing these things can help to avoid further injury. They can also ease your symptoms and lead to a faster recovery overall.
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Step 2: Continue Resting and Protecting
The P.R.I.C.E. method is vital immediately after an injury, but it’s worth remembering that some of those immediate steps are also important across the coming days. That’s especially the case when it comes to rest and protection, which are really the only ways to get yourself back on your feet. Unfortunately, they’re something we often forget as soon as the upfront swelling or pain has subsided.
We’re not saying you need to be bedridden for a week because of a pulled neck muscle, but resting the area as much as you can is still important moving forward, until that pain has healed completely. It’s also worth keeping hold of any braces you buy during this period, as ongoing wear can be a huge help, and you may need to continue to ensure the additional support a brace can offer even once you’re back to working out.
Step 3: See a Doctor
You probably don’t need to book an appointment with your doctor for every single workout injury, but there are instances where this is a good idea. For instance, if your pain continues to get worse after the injury has initially happened, or if you don’t notice any real improvement over three days or more, then it’s probably better to get things checked.
During this appointment, your doctor can rule out things like breaks and sprains, as well as highlight which muscle or tendon is affected. They’ll then be in the best position to advise you on the severity of your injury and the recommended path to recovery, which may include dedicated physiotherapy to avoid any lasting damage. None of which you’d be able to access if you simply sat at home and waited for things to get better on their own.
Step 4: Get Moving Again
The idea of moving again after an exercise injury isn’t always welcome. After all, you’re probably in a fair amount of pain, and weren't moving what got you into this mess in the first place? You’d probably rather just stick your leg, arm, or other injured limb up on a cushion and be done with it. And that’s certainly valuable in the beginning, where rest is key to reducing inflammation, etc. But at some point,
muscle recovery will become dependent on your ability to get that muscle moving.
This is the entire basis of physiotherapy, and it really does work. Of course, we’re not saying that you should start running marathons right away, but controlled movements once inflammation has gone down can help to ease that lingering post-injury stiffness. You can do small exercises yourself. Even walking counts if that injury was in your leg, ankle, or foot! You may also wish to
work with a physiotherapist who can provide you with injury-specific, gentle exercises to try at home.
Step 5: Get Back to the Gym
Hold on a minute. Gentle exercise is one thing, but going back to the gym? Really? Well, yes! Admittedly, this isn’t something you’ll want to rush – your return should be gradual and will need to wait until you’re moving without any pain. But getting back on the gym horse really is crucial, for both keeping your fitness levels up and for moving right past that injury like it never happened.
The main thing to note here is that you won’t be able to work out like you were before. Warm-up and cool-down stretches will be especially important now, while you’ll also want to build your workout routine back up gradually across several smaller workouts, and give yourself plenty of in-between recovery days in the beginning. Then, you’ll be back to full gym fitness before you know it!
No one loves a gym injury, but you can ensure it doesn’t impact your life too badly by following this handy five-step guide.
