How to recover from sports injuries?

Nowadays, people pay more and more attention to their physical health. In their spare time, they will do some exercise to strengthen their bodies. However, when the exercise is too intense, or if you don't warm up properly before exercise, sports injuries are quite common, and people often suffer external abrasions, muscle strains, etc. So, if such a sports injury occurs, how should we recover as quickly as possible?

Acute injury

Alternate between hot and cold for 3-5 days

Acute injuries are often caused by trauma. After acute injury, local bleeding, inflammation, swelling and pain will occur and must be controlled immediately. Immediate cold compress can lower tissue temperature, reduce metabolic rate and nerve conduction velocity, and constrict surrounding blood vessels, thereby achieving the effects of reducing swelling and relieving pain.

When applying cold compress, it should be based on the area and depth of the injury, and the duration of cold compress should generally not exceed 20 minutes. Reapply cold compress every 2 to 3 hours.

During the first 3 to 5 days of an acute injury, once bleeding is controlled and no further inflammation occurs, you can alternate between cold and hot compresses. Apply cold compress for 10 minutes, then heat compress for 10 minutes.

When cold compress is applied, the blood vessels contract, but when switched to hot compress, the blood vessels open, and a large amount of blood flows into the injured area, which is beneficial to the repair of damaged tissue. But before applying alternating hot and cold compresses, make sure that the injured area has stopped bleeding.

Chronic injuries

Chronic injuries usually refer to injuries that occur slowly over a long period of time without sudden trauma due to repeated strain and overuse. Of course, chronic injuries may also develop due to untimely or improper treatment after acute injuries.

For chronic injuries, heat is generally applied for 15 to 20 minutes using a hot bottle, hot towel, heat massage, or commercially available heat packs. When using hot bottles, etc., you need to wrap them with towels or clothes to prevent heat burns.

Applying heat after a chronic injury can help relieve muscle tension, reduce pain, increase ligament and tendon elasticity, and increase local blood supply. Applying heat to chronic injuries before exercise can help warm up and increase tissue mobility and flexibility.

When a sports injury occurs, if it is an acute injury, you can use alternating hot and cold compresses to relieve the symptoms; if it is a chronic injury, you can use hot compresses to relieve the symptoms, but be careful not to use too high a temperature to avoid skin burns. If the problem is serious, you must seek medical attention immediately.