If there is ever an excuse to stop exercising, it would be when an injury arises. Injuries are no fun, especially when they are a direct result from exercising. It obviously hinders the motivation. Most people would conclude that exercising is bad if it brings on physical pain within the body. Honestly, in the past, I would have agreed with this assumption. Humans are smart (well…usually hehe) – meaning, if something is painful, we steer away from whatever caused it. Makes sense! However, there are many more factors that pitch in when injuries take place. Let me explain:
Several weeks ago, I made a mistake. I was squatting with some heavy weight. Putting a lot of weight on the barbell can sometimes irritate my shoulders when lifting the bar from the rack. Therefore, I decided to put a pad over the bar where my shoulders make contact. The pad had a long cut on one side so it could slide over the bar. The mistake came when I accidentally rotated the pad so that the cut was where my shoulders would make contact. As you can imagine, if my shoulders contacted the cut side, it would simply push the pad off the bar. However, for some unknown reason, the pad did not fall off right way. Somehow, it hung on to the bar for 5 reps. As I pushed up for my final sixth rep, the pad popped off. This caused the bar to roll back down my shoulders. When this happened, it gained enough momentum that I couldn’t hang on to the bar. The best thing to do in this situation would be to let go and let the bar fall, but this didn’t happen for me. I failed to rotate my wrists backwards enough for it to let loose. In the matter of seconds, the weight continued to fall backwards while my hands were forced to hold on. If someone were to video the event, I would have looked like a tree getting cut down. I fell completely backwards while the bar kept position in my upper back. It easily knocked the wind out of me. My wrists felt as if they snapped and my upper back felt like someone took a bat and whaled me.
The moral of the story is I made a mistake and ended up with injuries. Given the circumstances, I was lucky because I only sprained my left wrist. You may have a similar story or it could be worse! Either way, these mistakes cause injuries. Injuries happen when people use incorrect form, use a machine improperly, or even when using too much weight. Another reason is because people do not warm up before exercising. This is a big no-no! Stretch properly and prepare those muscle. It is important to know that these are what causes the injuries, not the exercise itself! However, if you make a mistake like I did, it is important to know how to handle an injury and how to prevent it from happening again.
How to handle an injury: RICE –
REST, ICE, COMPRESSION, and ELEVATION. This is the golden standard when it comes to injuries. Most athletic trainers, doctors, and other health professionals will advocate for this method because it promotes healing and flexibility.
Rest – it is important to stop exercising and take a break. The process of healing takes time. If a person continues to use a muscle or body part that is injured, it will never heal properly.
Ice – cold icepacks will reduce pain or swelling. Reducing the pain is obviously a good thing, but reducing the swelling is the most important thing. If a person allows a muscle, tendon, or anything to swell beyond control, it will only cause more problems. It is best to apply ice 3 or more times a day for 10-20 minutes each session. The coldness of icepacks help to promote blood flow which will continue to bring more nutrients.
Compression – this is when a person wraps a sore area with an elastic bandage. This also reduces swelling without being cold from icepacks. This is good for long periods of time that you do not have an icepack available. It is important to wrap the bandage tight enough to create pressure, but not too tight that it worsens the pain or cuts off circulation.
Elevation – using a pillow or anything that allows to raise up a body part helps to elevate. Keeping an injury elevated above the heart is yet another way to reduce swelling.
These are the four most reliable ways to recover from an injury regardless of the body part. Depending on the area, a person may use these methods for several weeks before it begins to feel better. For example, with my injury, it took an entire month until my wrist was capable of handling weight again.
Do not rush the process. You can continue to exercise other muscle groups, but be careful of doing anything that will set back your injury. In addition, re-examine your approach to the exercise. In the future, ask yourself, “What can I do to prevent this from happening again”? In my opinion, free weights are the best way to go. Often, the lifting machines force people into a form that is unnatural. Going with the natural flow of free weights is the best way to lift, if you use the best form possible.
Have you ever used RICE before? Comment below! I enjoy injury stories!
Yours truly,
Health Cop
Be First to Comment