Insult and injury

Athletes get injured. It just happens at some point.  Good news though, It doesn't need to be dramatic. As long as you play it smart, the occasion small injury will be nothing to be concerned about. I wanted to write this today because I feel many people do not really know how to handle even a basic injury. Today's main focus will be pulling a muscle. Questions arise such as: how did I pull it? How long will it take to heal? How do I get it to heal faster? Soon enough, hopefully they'll even ask how to prevent this from recurring.

Okay, so you are doing that favorite exercise of yours. You are really feeling it today. In fact, you start feeling a odd pulling sensation, like the muscles are not so much stretching as much as pulling apart like adhesive on glue. That's how it feels at least. Then you have a sore body part, what now? R.I.C.E is a popular acronym for how to heal. Rest, ice, compression, elevation. Yet, that is more for a blunt injury like a broken bone, so I recommend focusing on the first two.

I say this because a pulled muscle is basically when a muscle is stretched too far and small tears develop. This is why rest is important. Your body will take care of business as long as you are not continuing to injure yourself.

As for the ice, swelling is common along with a sprain or pull. Swelling is the blood rushing to the area, so cool it down and slow it down to reduce swelling. Anti-inflammatory medicines are also recommended, such as Advil or Tylenol.

The length it will take to heal varies depending on how bad the muscle was torn. There is another thing that can speed up recovery. Stretching. This may seem counter intuitive. Yet, remember that a pulled muscle is not really "pulled" so much as it is torn. Stretching can aid in a speedy recovery and future injury prevention. This works because it stretches out the rest of the muscle, so instead of it staying there getting weaker in a tangled mess, you are sorting out the muscle and telling your body, "get to work."