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Sprains and StrainsSprains and strains happen when you least expect it. They usually occur when you over-stress your body. Sometimes the cause could be from one incident or from repeated stress to a specific area. I experienced a severe ankle sprain first hand. My sprain was from repeated stress due to over-compensating for a broken big toe. I woke up with a severe ankle sprain on a Saturday morning and aside from muscle relaxants, compression, ice and elevation; time was the only healer. It took about 6 weeks for the pain and swelling to go away. The traumatized area still swells very easily. The pain and swelling is the body’s way to further protect the injured area. Muscle relaxants are needed because the surrounding muscle usually starts to spasm and further causes discomfort. You would also treat the area with ice and elevation for swelling. The doctor advised me to use an ankle brace for compression to help with swelling. He advised the elevation would keep the blood and fluid from collecting in the injuried area which also helps with swelling. For pain I used over the counter meds such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen. The important thing is to rest and take it easy so the injured area can heal and you can get back to your workout routine . In the interim take it easy, take it slow and lower the intensity. If it’s an ankle, you can walk at a slower pace and for shorter distances until you’re back to full speed. If it’s a wrist or arm then you can do stretches and resistance routine without the weights. Remember to warm up your muscles before you start to workout and to stretch to help reduce the chances of injury.
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