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Tips for treating exercise injuries
The Fit-Nest
By Davina Bagot
Kaieteur News – Whether you are a frequent visitor to the gym, or a newbie to exercise, you are likely to be injured during your routine at some point in time. In fact, physiotherapists say it’s not a matter of if, but when!
While it is important to try our best to avoid injuries, I spoke to my friend Simone Seckle, an experienced physiotherapist attached to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) to share some first aid tips we will need. She holds a Bachelor Degree Physiotherapy, having graduated from the University of Guyana.
Physiotherapist, Simone Seckle
Before we delve into how to respond to an injury, it is equally important to understand the type of injury we may have. Two likely disturbances that can occur during workout are strains and sprains. To explain these Ms. Seckle noted that a strain is a tear to the muscle, while a sprain would be a deeper and more severe injury to the ligaments. Ligaments connect bones to other bones.
Sprain or strain?
In helping us to understand the difference between the two types of likely injuries, she pointed out that since a sprain is less severe, the RICE (Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate) rule could be very efficient in treating this type of pain.
“If you feel a strain while doing an exercise, you need to stop doing that activity because you can be getting the area worse, so you need to stop and rest the area, ice it and if it’s possible you compress the injury using a brace or a back support. If it’s a lib, you can elevate it,” Seckle shared.
A weight trainer, Salma Hack practices using her back support and other safety gears to avoid injuries during her sessions
She was keen to note that the RICE protocol should be implemented during the first 72 hours, but prolonging this routine could make the injury worse. The physiotherapist recommends speaking with a doctor or visiting a physiotherapist after 72 hours.
A strain, she said should heal itself within that period of time, but a sprain could be more painful. Given that these occur at the joints, we can look out for these at the wrist, elbow, ankle and even the knees during exercise.
Sprains can easily be identified as they usually cause swelling and redness at the area, restricted movement at the joint and are usually warm at the site. “It is a deeper injury and sometimes people may hear a little snap when they occur. Sprains can sometimes require surgical repair, depending on the level of the injury,” she advised. If these symptoms are observed, the physiotherapist said it is best to visit a doctor.
No rubbing
Typically, when we as Guyanese experience some pain, we become our own therapist and put our hands to work! The specialist however advises against this, as rubbing an injured spot can create more trouble.
According to her, “We don’t advise on rubbing just after an injury or just after a strain or so, because remember with a strain the muscle fibres become torn a little and if you rub that area then you can cause more problem for that muscle. Usually when you strain yourself you can see a little swelling or it may even be red so you would know it’s something happening below the skin.” She reminded that it is important to adhere to the RICE rule if you observe these signs.
In addition to strains and sprains, the physiotherapist shared that during an exercise a person may experience a spasm, which may feel like a slight twitching or painful cramp. To respond, she said you may rest and tap the site, which allows the blood to flow to the area, causing it to resolve on its own within a short period of time. “You can rest, you shake out, maybe you tap it and you just relax the muscle before you can go back into your workout,” she said.
Seckle stressed the fact that if you have those injuries, it is important that you consult with a Physiotherapist so that they can see what groups of muscles were damaged, to target those to be strengthened during therapy. She noted that this would help you to return to your exercise routine sooner and would also assist you so that during high impact activities, the pressure would be decreased on that particular joint or muscles area.
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