Whether you’re a dedicated athlete or enrolling in your first Couch to 5k program, you want to stay healthy to accomplish your goals. However, sometimes when we push our bodies to the limit, we end up injuring ourselves and have to sit on the sideline. It could be something mild such as a strained tendon or a more serious injury such as a stress fracture. Whatever the case, your goal is to heal as quickly as possible so you can get back to doing what you love. To make your comeback, try these 5 natural remedies for athletes that will get you up and running in no time!
Supplements
With big pharma companies dominating the market with the sole purpose of making money as their bottom line, rather than having the interest of the community in their minds, many Americans are turning to alternative medicines to treat any maladies. Natural remedies such as Arnica Montana 30x, a homeopathic supplement that aids in the reduction of inflammations and bruising caused by injuries, give patients more autonomy over their own wellbeing. Natural supplements such as these use natural resources directly from the earth, using ancient practices that have been used for centuries with great success.
If you find yourself sidelined by an injury, consult with your doctor to determine a holistic approach to recover faster. Natural remedies such as homeopathic medicine or CBD oil can help assuage any pain you experience from any injury. Alternative remedies will support your health without any negative side effects that often come with industry-prescribed drugs.
Massages
Any injury will cause soreness, stiffness, and swelling and will become inflamed as blood and fluids rush to the area and increase swelling. As swelling occurs, nerves are compressed, resulting in pain.
One way to reduce pain and speed up the recovery process is through a sports or injury massage. Getting a massage helps increase blood flow to the injured area, stretches tight tissues that cause stiffness, and flushes out fluids that swell in the joints. Whether you incur a back injury or your child athlete gets hurt at soccer practice, massages can always help.
Natural Remedies to Heal Yourself at Home
Along with increasing blood flow and pushing oxygen and nutrients to injured areas, taking care of yourself at home is just as important. When you’re home, follow the RICE protocol every day until your injury heals. Here’s what the RICE protocol is:
- Rest- Don’t perform any strenuous activities, especially activities that require movement of the body part that causes pain.
- Ice- Plan to ice 20 minutes of every hour for about 3 days. However, icing too much can do more harm than good. So, keep chemical ice packs away from direct contact to avoid frostbite and do not use any heat, as it will increase swelling.
- Compression- Use an ACE wrap or elastic bandage and properly wrap the injured area. Make sure you don’t wrap it too tightly where numbness or tingling occurs.
- Elevation- Try and keep your injured body part above your heart. This will allow blood to circulate back towards your body rather than collecting in your extremities.
Yoga
Common injuries such as back pain, tight hamstrings, or pulled muscles can be improved with the help of yoga. Yoga is a great way to focus on both your mentality and physical state with slow movements that emphasize breathing and stressing. Practicing yoga will help strengthen weakened muscle groups and build them up to provide support to areas that need it. Incorporating yoga into your lifestyle will also increase mindfulness. Getting injured, especially as an athlete, can lead to hopelessness and even depression. However, grabbing your Galam yoga mat and practicing mindfulness will help you recover both mentally and physically.
Nutrition
As an athlete facing an exercise-induced injury, you should know how important your nutrition is to your recovery process. Injuries will set you back and cause you to partake in less physical activity than you’re used to. Having an injury that immobilizes you, such as a broken leg or arm, will also lead to reduced muscle mass.
So, fueling your body with enough protein and fatty acids will give your body energy to remain healthy and reduce the amount of muscle loss. Instead of laying on the couch all day eating chips and snacks, prepare meals with superfoods high in vitamins and minerals. If you’re too busy or injured to cook your food, you can use nutritious meal delivery services that give you easy to prepare meals with ingredients and the recipe included!
Sleep
When your body sleeps, it recovers. This natural remedy should be taken extremely seriously if you find yourself with a nagging injury. Getting enough sleep when you’re injured allows your body to heal itself by releasing growth hormones that promote muscle growth and repair. If you have a shoulder or arm injury, invest in a SleepScore shoulder relief pillow for maximum comfort. Or, if you have a leg injury, place a few pillows under your leg to provide elevation to increase circulation and speed up recovery.
The Bottom Line
When facing an injury, you want to get back to the playing field as soon as possible. Natural remedies, such as sleep, yoga, and holistic supplements will ensure you’re putting your body in the best position possible to repair itself!
