However, it's important to remember, if you do experience an injury or have a specific concern, it is important to speak to and be assessed your health care provider to make sure your treatment is tailored to you and no further injury occurs.
R.I.C.E
We've all heard it, you get an injury and RICE is recommended (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation), however, newer research is showing that it may be time for an update, specifically with regards to the rest part. Studies have shown that immobilizing an injury can actually reduce circulation and cause muscles, nerves, ligaments and tendons to become weaker from disuse. Instead, working with your health care provider, like your physiotherapist, to find exercises that won't impede healing but will prevent weakness from disuse. Even applying ice to an injury hasn't consistently be shown to increase healing, however, it will help reduce inflammation and pain which often allows movement to resume faster than usual. Applying ice to an acute injury will help reduce pain, while heat is often utilized for more of the chronic injuries once the acute, inflammatory stage starts to subside.
Massage
Therapeutic massage is a good post activity treatment shortly after the activity to help flush out any waste products produced by the muscles during exercise. This would help decrease delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and improve healing of the tissue.
Using therapeutic massage part of your training regimen is a beneficial treatment to targets the injured area(s) and break down the scar tissue build up and release tight muscles (which can compress circulation, compress nerves, or decrease range of motion). These effects are significant for everyone, however particularly important for long distance athletes who are looking for an injury free season, a speedy recovery and/or improved performance.
Massage is ideally a preventative program. Massage can reduce compensation patterns from becoming an increasing problem, or one that will be very difficult to reverse. If an individual waits until pain sets in, the recovery time increases. This is because there is an increasing amount of adhesion in the tissue builds up and there is increased stress on surrounding muscles and tissues. A proactive athlete, who incorporates massage as a maintenance program, will catch tightness and scar tissue before it becomes an issue and addresses the area before it becomes a problem.
When your muscles are healthy they will work at optimal capacity. When you can move properly you will perform more efficiently.
When your muscles are healthy they will work at optimal capacity. When you can move properly you will perform more efficiently.
Ice Massage and Cold Immersion
Ice massage is a good method to assist with localized pain or muscle fatigue. It is a form of home care I like to prescribe, especially for Tibialis Posterior pain or impingement. Since the muscle is a common problem in runners and cyclists, to name a few, it is a good way to get into the small area without the large calf muscle, Gastrocnemius, getting in the way. The ice massage allows for a hard surface, the ice, to help break down the adhesion build up along with the cold helping with the constriction of capillaries to flush out any waste products from the muscle. |
| 'X' indicates Tibialis Post location |
Submerging yourself in a cold bath is another method some use to help with the delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). The thought is instead of moving an ice pack along your legs sitting for a few minutes in a bathtub saves time and does a quick flush out of the muscles. There has been many research articles trying to come with a definite answer on the effectiveness of cold therapy and if cold immersion baths help decrease DOMS.
A recent article 'The use of thermal imaging to assess the effectiveness of ice massage and cold-water immersion as methods for supporting post-exercise recovery" looked at both cold immersion baths and ice massage as a form of post-exercise recovery to decrease the DOMS. They compared these two methods with a group of people who just did passive recovery and allowed the muscles to heal on their own time. The results showed that there was a clear decrease in pain and discomfort felt using cold immersion and ice massage in comparison to the group who just did passive recovery.
The best rule of thumb is if you ever felt worse during or after ice or heat to stop the treatment immediately and do the opposite of what form of hydrotherapy you were administering. Depending on your training requirements the best post-exercise method may need to include a few different forms of self care and in combination with one another can prove the best results for healing.
Chiropractic
Chiropractic manual therapy along with corrective rehabilitative exercises are an excellent way to start any physical activity. Chiropractic adjustments ensure that the joints are able to move through their full ranges. A joint that is able to move through its entire range allows the body to withstand the many movement variations experienced during physical activity. Pairing an adjustment with a corrective exercise reinforces the mobility of the joints. Post activity treatment is also indicated in many circumstances. Depending on the nature of the activity, the body experiences external stresses that can lead to joint irritation, muscle tension, and mobility compensations leading to aches and pain that were not there pre-activity. Both chiropractic adjustments and myofascial release techniques such as Functional Range Release are treatment options to reduce/eliminate any discomfort experienced after physical activity.Acupuncture
Ever wake up with that spasming muscle making it painful to turn your neck? Or feel that specific knot that just won't seem to go away? Acupuncture can work wonders for tight muscles. Trigger Point acupuncture works by needling into the knots or tight muscles. Often times you can actually feel the muscles contract and release or twitch when the trigger points are needled. It can also be combined with electrostim to help relax muscles even further. Immediately after treatment muscles often feel sore, similar to how they would feel after working out at the gym. The soreness will usually last until the next day but after that, a reduction in tension is usually quite noticeable. Acupuncture works best combined with massage- acupuncture can help release the knots, while massage will help keep the muscles relaxed, increase blood flow and circulation and mobilize any metabolic waste that could be lingering.
Cupping
You may have noticed in the last Olympics many of the athletes sporting reddish-purple circles on their backs and shoulders. These circles weren't the results of injuries but rather the results of cupping. Cupping has been becoming all the rage with athletes recently and for good reason. Cupping is performed by creating a suction effect with the cup on tight muscles. It can increase circulation, relieve pain, stimulate the lymphatic system, break up scar tissue and move built up 'toxins', like lactic acid, in the muscles. Though the marks may look 'scary', cupping is actually a relatively relaxing therapy, similar to deep massage. Cups can either be placed in on spot and left or moved along the body with massage oil. Cupping can be used on any aches or muscle pulls to help relieve pain and loosen the muscle. It can also be use preventatively to help keep any 'tighter' areas loose to prevent injury.
Supplementation
When it comes to prevention and treatment of injuries, herbs, homeopathics and supplements can provide huge support. When it comes to athletes, there is an increased demand on their bodies especially muscles, bones, ligaments, etc. but also on the amount of metabolic waste that is produced and needs to be cleared. Add in an injury and scar tissue, and athletes bodies can take a huge hit. Making sure your diet is providing you with adequate support (vitamins, minerals, nutrients, etc.) is hugely important but even then extra support is often needed. The exact supports should always be individualized based on your activity, goals and demands, however, these are some of my favourite basic supports.
A warm bath with epsom salt is a great way to help relax muscles and speed recovery. The premise behind using Epsom salt is that it's high in Magnesium and can be absorbed to help relax muscles (in addition to the warm water). The jury is still out on whether the Magnesium is actually absorbed through the skin in this way, but anyone who has ever had epsom salt muscle soak will likely attest to the fact that, regardless of the absorption, their muscles feel much better after!
Of course, like we said from the beginning, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so be sure to properly warm up, listen to your body, don't over do it and don't wait for an injury to happen before getting into a good maintenance routine!
Disclaimer: The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. This information shouldn’t take the place of seeing a Naturopathic Doctor or your primary care provider for individualized health recommendations.
If you do experience an injury or have a specific concern, it is important to speak to and be assessed your health care provider to make sure your treatment is tailored to you and no further injury occurs.
Magnesium
Magnesium is by far one of my favourite supports for not just athletes but pretty much everyone. Magnesium is a cofactor in over 300 enzymes systems that regulate everything from protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood sugar and blood pressure regulation. It's also required for energy production, this demand is increased in athletes. Magnesium is also a potent muscle relaxant, helps speed muscle recovery and reduce fatigue. Unfortunately, studies suggest that the majority of people do not consume enough to meet the daily requirements through food. This demand will be even higher in athletes.
Muscle Soaks/Epsom Salt
A warm bath with epsom salt is a great way to help relax muscles and speed recovery. The premise behind using Epsom salt is that it's high in Magnesium and can be absorbed to help relax muscles (in addition to the warm water). The jury is still out on whether the Magnesium is actually absorbed through the skin in this way, but anyone who has ever had epsom salt muscle soak will likely attest to the fact that, regardless of the absorption, their muscles feel much better after!Homeopathics
Though homeopathics don't play a huge role in my practice, this is one area where they can have benefit. Arnica montana has been traditionally used for muscle aches and bruising, while Hypericum perforatum is traditionally used for nerve type pain. Though not everyone is responsive to homeopathics, for those that are, this is a easy treatment to keep on hand.Topicals
Topical creams or gels can often provide a lot of relief to sore, achey muscles or injuries. There are lots of options on the market, however, two of our favourites are:- Kalaya which uses a mix of salicylate (Aspirin uses the acetylated form) which is anti-inflammatory and reduces pain, Methanol (cooling), MSM (reduces pain) and arnica (which helps reduce pain and heal) to help ease inflammation from acute injury or overuse
- Traumacare which is a homeopathic based cream that can help reduced pain, swelling, inflammation, bruising and speed healing.
Of course, like we said from the beginning, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so be sure to properly warm up, listen to your body, don't over do it and don't wait for an injury to happen before getting into a good maintenance routine!
Disclaimer: The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. This information shouldn’t take the place of seeing a Naturopathic Doctor or your primary care provider for individualized health recommendations.
No comments:
Post a Comment