324/365 Strains and Sprains

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

As you may recall I am training for a 10K on June 15. Unfortunately, while I was cross training to a Turbo Fire DVD I injured myself. I think this strain was caused my landing improperly; I may have inverted my foot too hard or at a funny angle or something. Now I'm uncertain whether I should run in the race anyway or if I should back out gracefully while I can. The point of this post however is not to hear me complain. Today we're discussing strains and sprains, their prevention, and their treatment.

Strains - this is an injury to your muscle or your tendon caused by pulling or twisting a muscle or tendon. These generally occur in the back, hamstrings, or elbow. In my case, it's happened to my tibialis posterior, a muscle responsible for inversion and plantarflexion; a muscle crucial for running....sadness.

Sprains - this is an injury to your ligaments, the tissue that connects bone to bone, where it is stretched or torn. Common sprains are in the ankle and wrist.

There are varying degrees of injury to each of these. Your length to recovery and steps for rehabilitation will depend on the severity of your strain or sprain. Within the first 24-48 hours, you want to RICE: rest, ice, compress, and elevate. This is to reduce swelling and get you on the road to recovery as quickly as possible.

Rest - Whatever you're doing that hurts...stop doing it! Take weight off your injury for at least 48 hours and don't perform your regular activity. You are only hurting yourself more if you don't.

Ice - Ice your injury 20 minutes on 20 off. Never put ice or your ice pack directly to your skin; wrap a towel or clothing around it.

Compression - You can decide to wrap a band or splint around your injury to keep it stable and less prone to further injury while you recover. I would consult a doctor or someone with expertise in this area.

Elevation - Raise the injured body part at or above the level of your heart to decrease swelling.

Recovery can take at least 2 weeks. If you cheat, you only hurt yourself. This is the pill that I have to swallow. It sucks but  you have to weigh out what you want more. There will be more races and your legs are important for everything. I'm going to pass on the race on the 15th...sadness.

In health,

Lauren