Treating Sports Injuries with PRICE

There is nothing worse than getting into your workout and feeling your muscles pull or tear. It can be so excruciating. 

If you are working out from home, you can often treat the injury at home. However, if the injury was caused by an outside source, it can be more beneficial to seek professional medical help and guidance from a personal injury attorney from the city.

PRICE is a great acronym to remember when treating your injuries with ease from home. 

You should be aware that you should contact a medical professional after taking these steps if the injury is hot, overly swollen, or you cannot use the limb at all. 

P for Protection

One of the first things you need to do when you feel something not right, like a pulled muscle, is to protect it. 

An injury to your shoulder or arm, for example, would require you to support the arm with a sling and stop using the shoulder for a short while. 

If it is your ankle, knee, or back, avoid moving or putting any weight on it. Protect the injury from more damage as quickly as possible. 

Slings, splints, crutches, and partial immobilization are all means of protection. 

R is for Rest

After any illness or injury, it is recommended that you rest. Yet, it is important to remember that you should rest for too long when it comes to sports injuries. 

Resting for too long can have adverse effects on the recovery rate and can even compromise the fitness and mobility of the limb. 

After a few days of rest, the muscle might begin to feel okay, just a little weaker than before. A slow recovery workout process can be beneficial to get you back on track and your fitness levels what they once were. 

You are looking to move the limb or joint gently and slowly and free from pain. 

I is for Ice

The use of hot and cold treatments to an injured area is shown to have a significant effect on the amount of swelling the area has. 

Ice, in particular, has been shown to reduce the pain in the area and reduce the swelling. It is essential that the ice is only on the site for 10-15 minutes, every 1-2 hours, depending on the injured area. 

C is for Compression

Compression bandages are often recommended to give mild support and reduce the swelling. A compression bandage shouldn’t be worn overnight and should start just above the injury and end a few inches below it. 

There are several options for compression bandages; you may need to seek specialist advice about which one is better to use. 

If there is discoloration, numbness, or tingling of the limb, then the bandage should be loosened asap. 

E is for Elevation

Limbs and swollen joints will often throb when the limb or joint is lowered and begins to swell. Elevation, combined with the other tips above, can reduce the pain, enable some range of motion and help to improve the recovery time. 

Elevation means raising the area of injury above the heart through the waking hours. In the first 24 to 48 hours, it is beneficial to keep the injury as raised as possible. 

So next time you suffer an injury, remember PRICE. We know that you should be vigilant during a workout, but here are some more ways to keep safe: Precautions to keep in mind during workout sessions | The Fitness Junkie Blog.