Jackson County Spine & Sports

Working Around an Injury:

Whether your injury is minor (muscle strain) or major (torn ligament) ranging from temporary strains to ACL, MCL, LCL, and PCL injuries, you're not doomed to weeks of sitting on the couch and watching television. The decision to continue exercising and working is up to you.  In conjunction with our experience and dedication and a plan of action, we can keep you moving forward in advancing your health naturally.

When it comes to exercise and sports related injuries, your first step would be to come see us for a qualified diagnosis and treatments. Exercising with chronic pain is a recipe for disaster and may turn a temporary problem into a permanent one. Once you visit us,we can give you our best recommendations how to heal and work around a particular injury.  We also may refer you to qualified trainers with your issue.

Below are some ideas we recommend so you won't lose all the strength gains you've worked so hard for.

1.     Don't do any activity involving your injured body part.

If you have a hip, knee, shin or foot injury you may not be able to run or ride your bike, but in some cases you can continue exercising your upper body if the injuries are not so exstensive.

Your focus should be on modifying your workout so that you perform the exercises while seated or laying down so as not to put pressure on the injured joint or muscle. If you have an upper body injury, why not concentrate on lower body exercises? You can modify by doing exercises that don't involve holding weights in your hands or on your shoulders and simply stick with machines that don't involve your upper body.

2.     If it Hurts, Don't Do it

At this point you should be following an exercise plan recommended by our office. If you continue to feel any pain in the joints or anywhere else, stop immediately. You may be able to move on to a different exercise that doesn't hurt, or you may have to stop altogether. Either way, learning to listen to your body is vital to staying injury and pain free. Stretching may be an answer.

3.     Follow Your Doctor's Advice

If you're determined to exercise, in many cases we will give you a list of activities you can do to stay active without injuring yourself further.  

4.     Prevention of injury

Obviously, prevention is the best choice when it comes to injuries. Once you experience the pain of an injury, you might want to educate yourself on ways to avoid them in the future. One simple way is to maintain core flexibility and balance. Tight muscles can cause imbalances in your body that could lead to injuries. For example, if your quadriceps (front of the leg) are stronger than your hamstrings (back of the leg), you risk a strain or even a rupture of your hamstrings. Another way to prevent injuries is to avoid overtraining.

When your muscles are tired, they "do a poor job of protecting their associated connective tissues, increasing the risk of damage to bone, cartilage, tendons and ligaments." To fortify yourself even more against injuries, make sure you incorporate regular weight training into your weekly routine. Strengthening ALL of your muscle groups will reduce any muscle imbalances that may cause other muscles of your body to overcompensate for that weakness.

Here are a few tips for recognizing simple injuries:

• First, joint pain, particularly in the joints of the knee, ankle, elbow and wrist, should never be ignored. This type of pain typically originates from the joint rather than the muscle and may be a sign of serious misalignments or subluxations. Another warning sign is tenderness at a specific point in the body.
• If you can elicit pain at a specific point in a bone, muscle or joint, by pressing your finger into it, you may have a significant injury,tendinitis, bursitis, muscle impingement syndromes, a torn labrum or early stages of fibromyalgia.  Another symptom never to ignore is swelling.

Swelling is always a sign of some type of injury. You can also experience swelling within the joint, which may be harder to see. If you do have swelling in the joint, your range of motion will be reduced and your joint may feel tight or hot and sometimes cool.

It is recommended that we compare both sides of the body. If one side acts differently than the other, you may have joint swelling or more common joint fixation. Finally, never ignore numbness or tingling in your body. This may be a sign of nerve compression, which might be a prelude to a serious injury like disc degeneration from DJD or a history of repetitive stress injuries, even from overtraining or training with misalignments.

If you experience any of these symptoms your first step is to stop what you're doing and call your us. Never work through the pain! Dealing with an injury right away may mean a little recovery time, but that's better than having a permanent condition. While waiting to get in to see us, you can also start a little treatment on your own. The usual treatment involves R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation).

All this means is that you should stop what you're doing and use a bandage to compress the injured area (which can help reduce swelling). Then put an ice pack on the affected area for about 15 or 20 minutes at a time, making sure to give the injured area plenty of time to warm up between icing sessions. Then, elevate the area if it helps.  Sometimes finding the most comfortable  position is the only solution till you can get to our office.

If you are experiencing any symptoms of injury or just chronic discomfort.  Please contact our office ASAP: 706-367-1208