Recovering from an injury can be a slow and frustrating process. If you have sustained a muscle strain, joint dislocation, snapped tendon, or broken bone, it is not only painful but makes it hard to go about your daily life. The best way to regain strength and mobility is to stay focused and put in the hard work. Here are four tips that will help you stay on track.
4 Tips To Help You Stay On Track
Talk to the Professionals
Recovering From An Injury
Pushing yourself too hard too early can cause further injury and delay your recovery, so it is worth getting expert advice about the best stretches and strength building regime for you. Don’t put this off because you are struggling to drive or navigate public transport. Look for a clinic that offers mobile physiotherapy, and you can receive treatment and advice in the comfort of your own home.
They will bring any equipment that they need along with them. A physiotherapist will also advise you about the best and safest way to go about your daily routine without exacerbating the injury. Advice might include tips on getting in and out of bed, maneuvering into the car, taking a shower or stretches to do while at work to keep your problem area from getting stiff and sore.
Be Consistent
It is crucial for you to keep moving. Doing your physio exercises every day and integrating movement as recommended by your healthcare practitioner will help you to make a faster and more complete recovery. It is easy to say, “I will do it tomorrow,” but many people find putting off their exercises is a slippery slope. It can take months or years to recover. A consistent routine is the only way to ensure that you get the outcome that you want and can make a full recovery.
While you are on your potentially long road to recovery, it can be challenging to stay motivated. One technique that often helps is to keep track of your progress so that you can see how far you have come. You could do this by taking photographs to show your increasing flexibility or range or movement, tracking your pain levels on a scale of one to ten, recording the number of repetitions of each of physio exercise that you can do or setting yourself an achievable goal within a measurable time frame. There are apps that you can download to your phone to help you with tracking and injury recovery, or you can use a good old fashioned notebook and a pen.
As we get older, our body starts to become less flexible, less agile, and it is harder to stay in shape. Some people find that as they age, old injuries reappear, showing up as stiff ankles or sore backs, especially if the person has never fully recovered. To make sure that you maintain your mobility, find a routine that you enjoy and that you will continue in the long term. Ideally, look for something that is low-impact and includes elements of strength training, flexibility, and a cardiovascular workout.
To avoid injury, make sure that you stretch, warm up and warm down, and listen to your body if something doesn’t feel right. If an injury does occur, give your body the time to recover before you go back to any strenuous exercise but make sure that you consult a professional and are consistent with your rehabilitation exercises.
