Treating Your Injuries

Note: my ramblings should not be taken in place of advice from a real doctor.  If you are injured, please consult with a physician.

At some point, pretty much everyone who exercises is going to get some kind of injury.  Earlier this month I messed up my knee.  Yes, less than two months away from the Tiarathon, and my knee decides not to cooperate.  So what did I do?

I ran on it one more time.  In the snow.

You know what?  It turns out that running on a hurt leg isn't really a doctor-approved method of treatment.  And of course later in the day, my knee was really hurting.  So I decided to do what I should have done the day before.  The classic RICE treatment.  If you get any kind of minor strain, sprain, or pulled muscle, you should do this immediately.  (Of course, if it's really bad you should also see a doctor right away.)

What is RICE, you may ask?

R - Rest
This is the no-brainer part of the RICE treatment.  Stop using it so it can begin healing.  What I should have done as soon as it started hurting.

I - Ice
Ice will help keep swelling down, and will also help with any pain.  You may have seen how I iced my knee in a very manly way.  You can also use regular ice packs, frozen vegetables, wet paper towels that you put in baggies in the freezer...whatever you can get to wrap around the injury.  Just don't put the ice on bare skin, and only ice for around 15 minutes at a time.

C - Compression
I have to admit, for this particular injury I didn't have swelling so I didn't use compression.  But had it swollen AT ALL, I'd have put one of my knee braces on it.  You can also use an ACE bandage.  Swelling inhibits the healing process, so you want to prevent it as much as possible.

E - Elevate
I'm not sure if elevating my knee had a big effect, or if just helped remind me to rest it, but it definitely felt good to get it raised up.  If you have any swelling, raising it above your heart will help reduce it.

After a couple of days of treatment, your injury may begin healing.  Mine didn't feel better so I made an appointment with the doctor for later in the week.  Even though my knee felt better by the time I got in, I still went.  The doctor recommended some extra stretching and light massaging of the injured parts.

And fortunately, he told me I could keep running on it as long as it kept feeling better.  So I'm still Tiarathon-bound!  Even a couple of days late, RICE to the rescue!

- Bill

Comments

[Bill]

And of course I forgot to add that you can take ibuprofen to reduce swelling too. I usually try to avoid taking it before a doctor's appointment, though, so it doesn't cover up any of my symptoms while I'm there.

[Liz]

Aw, sorry about your injury Bill! These are good tips. I tend to get what can only be described as side shin splints. Not my calves, but on the inside of the lower leg. Bet these tips would help.