When you have an injury, ice can be one of the most effective self-treatment methods you have at your disposal.  While gel packs or a refillable ice bag are the more convenient than say the form of ice shown above, your ice therapy doesn’t need to be anything particularly fancy.  A bag of frozen peas or corn kernels or some ice cubes in a plastic bag or wrapped in a towel will work just fine.

For best results with ice, there are some basic rules to follow:

• Be Sure To Separate The Ice From Your Skin With A Layer Of Dry Cloth To Prevent Frostbite
• Apply Ice For About 10 – 15 Minutes At A Time (Up To 20 Minutes For Thick Body Areas)
• Allow Time For The Skin To Return To Normal Temperature Before Re-Applying Ice (1-2 Hours Is A Good Rule Of Thumb)
• Use Repeated Applications For Best Results In Reducing Pain And Swelling

For sports injuries or any recent injury to an arm or leg that leaves the skin intact, ice is most effective as part of the RICE formula:  Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.  This means avoiding unnecessary movement and exertion of the injured area, applying ice as described above, using gentle compression with either manual pressure or a compressive wrap, and elevating the body part so that it is even with or above the level of the heart.   

Following these recommendations will help you to control inflammation and reduce pain.  For pain and swelling lasting longer than a few days, or when in doubt, professional attention to the injury by a physician or physical therapist is highly recommended.

Sports Injuries Recover Faster With Physical Therapy

San Antonio weather allows for a wide variety of sports to be played all year long.  Injuries are a part of any sport, although each sport will have a tendency towards certain types of injuries.  Soccer players get more ankle and knee injuries.  Baseball and softball players tend towards shoulder problems.  Golf and tennis players often develop elbow and wrist injuries. 

Regardless of the type of injury, physical therapy can often play an important role in the athlete’s recovery.  The basic components of sports injury treatment are usually the same regardless of the type and location of the injury:

• Control of inflammation
• Protection of the injured area to prevent further injury
• Once the inflammatory stage has passed, mobilization, stabilization, and rehabilitation of injured structures takes place

Physical therapists most commonly control inflammation by means of cold packs and electrical stimulation.  These are usually used frequently in the first week or two following an injury. 

Protection of the injured area may be achieved through various means, including the application of tape, pre-made braces, air casts, slings, wraps, and indirectly through the use of crutches or other supportive aids.  In the initial stages of an injury, damaged tissue is vulnerable to further injury, so supporting and protecting the injured tissue is important to keep things from getting worse and allowing healing to begin.

Protection of injured areas may continue for some time even after the main symptoms are gone, because the stresses that athletes place on their bodies can cause re-injury if the damaged tissues are not supported.  Braces and special taping methods like kinesiotaping may be used for this purpose.

Once the initial inflammatory stage of an injury has passed, the real importance of physical therapy is just beginning.  It is important to restore normal mobility to injured joints and surrounding tissues and to strengthen muscles to provide stability and support.  A good physical therapist knows how to push his or her patients just enough so that they make progress without overdoing and causing an exacerbation of symptoms. 

Depending on the type and severity of the original injury, some form of ongoing preventive therapy may be needed.  In such cases, physical therapists prepare patients for discharge by instructing them in home exercise and self-treatment methods and make sure that the patient knows what to do to prevent future problems.

San Antonio Physical Therapist Mark DeAnda, P.T. Assists A Patient With Shoulder Exercises.

Physical therapy can be remarkably helpful when the right treatment is applied at the proper time, but it can actually make things worse if the patient is forced to fit into a preconceived treatment protocol that is inappropriate for their particular circumstances. 

For example, a patient with an acute disc herniation who is experiencing severe pain is not likely to do well with intense resistance training.  This might seem pretty obvious, but you might be surprised how often a patient like this would be put into a resistance training program on day one of treatment by supposedly qualified therapists, simply because it is their usual protocol. 

While rehabilitation with resistance training is usually an important part of the overall treatment plan for most patients, a good physical therapist is going to assess each patient individually and decide what will provide the best results the fastest and is within the patient’s tolerance. 

A patient who is in severe pain will initially need therapies that are directed at reducing pain, inflammation, and muscle spasm.  As the symptoms improve, they can gradually be transitioned into more rehabilitative treatments intended to enhance strength and stability and to improve the individual’s tolerance to activities. 

A good physical therapist knows when to push a patient a little bit to get them past their fears and to prevent them from being lazy in their rehab activities.  But pushing a patient who is simply being lazy and/or is holding back out of fear of pain returning is much different than asking a patient who can barely move without excruciating pain to lift weights. 

By initiating the right treatment at the right time, a good physical therapist ensures that the patient will recover as quickly as possible and will have the best long-term outcome.

Good Lifting Form Protects Your Back

 One of the most common causes of low back injuries is poor lifting form.  Many people with lifting-related injuries assume that the reason they hurt their backs was because they tried to lift something that was too heavy.  In reality, if they used proper lifting form, chances are they would not have been injured, even if they tried to lift something that weighed more than their muscles could lift.

Even a very light object can cause a back injury if  poor lifting form is used.  In fact, just your own body weight is sufficient to cause a back injury if you put it in a mechanically-compromised position – specifically, bending forward at the waist. 

Most people have heard that they should bend their knees when they lift something, but that’s not the whole story.  Even with your knees bent, it is still possible to bend forward at the waist, and it is this position that places the lower spine in jeopardy. 

The picture above shows good lifting form:  bending at the knees with the back straight and the head up.  It can be difficult to know what position you are in while lifting unless you happen to be in front of a mirror though.  One trick that helps ensure that you use proper lifting form is to intentionally “stick your butt out” and keep your upper body as close to perpendicular to the ground (straight up, rather than bent forward) as possible. 

By using proper form, you can safely lift whatever amount of weight your legs and arms can handle without having to worry about your low back.