Recovering from an injury can be a long and painful process, depending on how severe the injury is. There are a few simple ways you can help alleviate pain as well as speed up recovery. Most of these you can do right from your own home.
Rest
Getting plenty of rest is one of the best ways to recover from an injury. Most of your body's healing and repair cycle occurs while you're either resting or asleep. Also, depending on the injury, excessive movement of the injured area can interfere with the healing process and potentially make the injury worse. When you sleep, your brain is free to focus on healing and the automatic management of the body's repair cycle. This involves the release of HGH, which promotes an increase in metabolic activity, leading to healing and the repair of muscles and joints.
Hot Tub
Using a hot tub or simply taking a hot bath can also help alleviate and heal your injuries. The buoyancy of the water allows your joints to release, easing tension and joint pain as the gravitational force on your joints is reduced. According to Aqua Rec, the heat from a hot tub improves the circulation and helps blood reach the injury more quickly, speeding up the healing process. Different exercises and stretches in the hot tub take away the jarring pain and impact and pressure on your joints.
Proper Immediate Care
What you do in the moments after an injury can greatly influence how long the recovery process will take. Especially in the case of muscle injury, identifying the injury can go a long way to figuring out the best recovery methods. If you feel you may have torn a muscle or have a muscle strain, immediately try to relax the affected area and apply ice. While heat is great for long-term treatment, you want to use ice for fresh muscle injuries because muscle heals and repairs differently than the rest of your body. The body's healing and repair system is a complex mechanism, and giving it the tools it needs to function is key to having a smooth recovery. Try to get at least eight hours of sleep to optimize the healing process that takes place during the sleep cycle, and use heat to allow blood to reach the injury during the recovery stages. Also, if you believe you're newly injured, seek medical attention immediately.
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