How to enhance recovery after sport naturally
Your recovery routine has a big impact on your sporting performance and your fitness gains as well as allowing you to train more effectively. Many people who exercise do not have a post exercise recovery routine. Recovery after exercise is vital for muscle and tissue repair, especially after heavy weight training.
Did you know that muscles need between 24-48 hours to repair and rebuild. Working the same muscle group again too soon will lead to tissue breakdown instead of building. You should therefore avoid working the same muscle group 2 days in a row.
To have your body healing faster, it is important to listen to it, and not push too hard constantly. Drinking plenty of water to replace the fluids you have lost during training, eating the right foods to enhance recovery, stretch and icing are all common ways to assist faster healing also.
Despite doing all you can to prevent injuries it doesn’t totally bulletproof you, however it minimises your chances and also can prevent injuries being too severe. The better condition you are in prior to an injury will definitely enhance your healing rate too.
If you are unfortunate enough to sustain an injury during sport, these following tips may be crucial to your speedy recovery:
- Apply Ice Immediately
10 minutes on 10 minutes off and then repeat.
Always keep a thin moist towel between the ice pack and your skin to prevent skin damage.
Do this routine 3 times daily in the first 72 hours.
If the injury is serious though, immediately seek medical advice.
- Get the muscle moving at a low intensity
In the early periods of injury you want to move the muscle through very low intensity movements frequently. This helps to keep the blood flowing through the muscle to assist healing as well as preventing the muscle fibres over shortening during recovery.
For example if you have a hamstring injury, you may do some gentle leg swings and walking to help recovery. For an ankle injury you may do gentle figure of 8 movements with your foot around the ankle joint.
If you are unsure always ask a professional who is trained in giving advice in this area.
- Chiropractic and Massage
Massage is important to improve blood supply to the area and help to keep the muscle fibres lengthened, both of which are critical for healing. Along with this, Massage can also help with reducing scar tissue and thus prevent recurrent injuries.
Chiropractic works to keep the body aligned and the nervous system functioning without interference. When your body is aligned the body is weight bearing evenly and thus the muscle system is balanced. For example if the pelvis is out of alignment it can cause tightening of the hamstrings and calf on one side of the body. If you continue to play sport and train with this imbalance it could lead to tears in the muscle.
Injuries rarely resolve on their own, especially if improper technique is being used. If you are in pain when you are exercising or playing sport do not continue as this can lead to chronic injury. The sooner you get your body healing and recovering, you are more likely to return to what you love faster!
If you have any specific questions regarding your individual situation or you would love further information please contact us here at Global Chiropractic on 54443388 or email [email protected]
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