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- Caring for Injuires part 2
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- Wrist Curls
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- In the Sports Injury Handbook, Dr. Levy recommends
holding a comfortable weight (five pounds or less) at your side. With your elbow locked
and your palm facing forward, roll your wrist as far forward as it will go comfortably and
then let it back down slowly. Repeat to muscle exhaustion.
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- Reverse Wrist Curls
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- Same as above, except your palm faces backward. Flex
your wrist forward as far as it will go comfortably, then let it down.
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- Elbows
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- If you've ever spent an afternoon on the tennis court, golf green or baseball diamond, you appreciate how
susceptible this versatile joint is to overuse injury. Use the following stretches as soon
as you begin to feel any soreness or pain in your elbow, says Dr. Levy. You don't have to
wait until pain strikes to do them, however. These and other exercises can pre-condition
your elbow and help you avoid painful joint problems entirely. Check it out.
When to see a doctor: Severe problems are usually
the result of a hard blow (or a series of traumas). Get checked out if you have a
persistent "funny bone" feeling of numbness or tingling at the tip of your
elbow: It may indicate a nerve injury, says Dr. Janda. Also seek attention if you develop
small bumps that protrude from your elbows (Popeye had this problem): You may have fluid
buildup from a form of acute bursitis.
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- Elbow Relief Stretches
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- Regardless of what side of your elbow hurts, do both
of the following stretches. This will balance the muscles, says Dr. Levy. Stand alongside
a wall and extend your arm straight to the side. Press the back of your hand against the
wall, fingers pointing down. Keeping your hand pressed down, raise your arm higher on the
wall until you feel a stretch in your forearm. Hold 20 to 30 seconds.
Next, place your palm against the wall, elbow
straight, fingers pointing down. Keeping your palm pressed down, raise your arm higher on
the wall until you feel a gentle stretch.
Here's an alternative wrist stretch: Extend your arm
straight out in front of you so that it's parallel to the floor. Your elbow should be
locked, your palm facing down. Use your other hand to pull your extended hand down toward
the floor. |
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- Modified Leg Extensions
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- Sit in a chair and extend your injured leg straight
in front of you, parallel to the floor. Next, place a footstool, box, bucket or similar
object under your foot to prevent your leg from dropping any lower than six to eight
inches when lowered. Why? Doing a leg extension through the knee's full range of motion
will make the problem worse, while doing just the uppermost 30 degrees of motion will make
it better. If you wish to add resistance, put some ankle or free weights in a gym bag and
slide your foot through the handle so you can use the bag as a weight.
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- Ankles
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- The ankle's strengths are also
its weaknesses. It provides movement in lots of different directions: up, down, back,
forward, side-to-side. That allows crucial mobility for the feet and legs, but in a rare
instance of seemingly careless design, it also makes a critical component of balance and
stability inherently unstable.
The ankle injury you can do something about is the
mild sprain, in which the fibers of the ligament become partially torn, usually from
rolling too far off the outer part of your foot. Immediately apply the RICE method.
One method of icing involves dunking the foot in a
bucket or small trash can of ice water. This isn't necessarily a pleasant prospect, but
it's good medicine, says Dr. Levy. Another makeshift method is to use an athletic bandage
to wrap and hold a bag of frozen peas around your ankle. Ice for 20 minutes on, 20 minutes
off, for two days or until the swelling is gone.
Between icings, and while sleeping, keep your ankle
compressed with an athletic bandage, but not so tight that you completely restrict blood
flow, says Dr. Janda. Prop it up with pillows to elevate it above the level of the heart.
As with the knee, begin putting your ankle through
range-of-motion and light strengthening exercises as soon as possible, says Dr. Levy.
When to see a doctor: Ankle
sprains and breaks are difficult to differentiate (the more dire fractures sometimes feel
less painful), so everything but the most mild sprains should be taken to a doctor for an
x-ray. Clues that the injury is serious include swelling that keeps getting worse or
doesn't go away after 72 hours, or not being able to walk, says Dr. Levy.
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- Knees
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- Because it's such a complex joint that depends on
bone, ligaments, tendons and fluid to work properly, the knee is one of the most
frequently injured parts of the body.
The most common form of overuse injury is runner's knee, in which the kneecap, which normally rides in a groove when the knee
bends, becomes misaligned and rubs on the side of the groove. The problem is caused by
overpronation of the foot, which may require orthotics to correct.
In the meantime, if you are exercising and your knee
starts to hurt, immediately stop and call it quits for the day. If there's swelling or
pain, apply the RICE method. You can remedy a minor case of runner's knee yourself by
strengthening your quadriceps muscles to better support your knee and gradually pull your
kneecap back into alignment. To do this, you'll need to do modified leg extensions, says
Dr. Levy.
A second common knee problem is a ligament sprain
from making a too-quick pivot, landing wrong from a jump or twisting your leg in a gopher
hole. Sprains take time to heal. In the short term, use the RICE method to aid the healing
process. If it's a minor sprain, it will heal on its own, but you will want to put the
knee through its full range of motion and work on strengthening your leg muscles to
prevent a recurrence, says Dr. Janda.
For a good stretch, use your hand to pull the foot
of your injured leg up so that the heel presses your buttocks. Also, do modified leg
extensions.
When to see a doctor: There
are a number of knee injuries that are every bit as nasty as they sound: torn cartilage or
ligament, a dislocated or broken kneecap. To separate the serious from the merely painful,
Dr. Levy offers this rule of thumb: "If you receive a blow," he says, "and
the pain is on the same side of the knee that was hit, it's probably just a bruise, and
the pain will go away rapidly. If the pain is on the opposite side, consider it a serious
injury." That means get to a doctor.
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- Ankle Strengtheners
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- Tie a piece of rope about 1 1/2 feet long in a loop
through a ten-pound weight and drape the loop over your foot (make sure you have shoes
on). While sitting on a counter or stool, use your ankle to lift the weight as many times
as you can. If you can, also try moving the weighted foot from side to side.
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- Alphabet Stretch
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- For improved range of motion, sit on a high chair or
with your legs crossed so that the injured ankle is off the floor. Trace the letters of
the alphabet with your foot, keeping your toes straight so all motion comes from the
ankle.
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- Shoulders
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- Apparently, if God had meant for us to swim and play
tennis, football, baseball and volleyball, he would have given us more shoulder
ligaments. As it is, the few that exist are weak, so there's little support for the
shoulder when you make forceful movements with your arm over your head.
The common microtraumas that give us sore shoulders
are easily remedied with some gentle stretching, icing and anti-inflammatories, says Dr.
Janda.
The main overuse shoulder problem is a rotator cuff
injury, an inflammation of the tendons that help hold the shoulder in place. If pain is
flaring up, stop what you are doing and, if you sense an injury, apply the RICE method,
advises Dr. Levy.
The main treatment for minor rotator cuff
injuries is conditioning the shoulder muscles with any number of exercises, says Dr. Levy.
If you do any kind of regular workout, the format of these exercises will seem comfortably
familiar.
But remember: When you're dealing with a shoulder
injury, you want to use light weights—15 pounds or less—much lighter than
the moderate to heavy weights you normally would use. Once you've repaired the damage and
conditioned your shoulders, then you can slowly start adding more weight, Dr. Levy says.
When to see a doctor: You
should see your doctor if it feels as if your shoulder has come out of its socket or you
can't move your shoulder or raise your arms above your head.
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- Gentle Shoulder Stretch
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- Stand in a doorway and hold onto the doorjamb at
about shoulder height with both hands. Move forward through the door so that your arms are
pulled behind you and your elbows are straight. When you feel a gentle stretch in your
shoulders, hold for 30 seconds. This is a very versatile stretch that you can do anywhere.
Plus, by slightly modifying this exercise, you can also stretch your chest muscles.
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- Side Lateral Lifts
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- Hold a dumbbell at your side, your palm facing your
body. Keeping your arm straight, lift the weight out to your side, raising your arm no
higher than parallel to the floor, then return to the starting position. Repeat 50 times
or until you tire.
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- Back
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- Back problems tend to feel worse
than they are. You may swear you have a blown disk and need sophisticated surgery, but
actually at least 90 percent of cases are nothing more than spasms of weak or overloaded
muscles. The fact that you can usually treat yourself is the somewhat tarnished silver
lining in what's otherwise a state of abject misery.
When back muscles spasm, the immediate goal is to
get them to relax. Try the postures and stretches below, says Dr. Levy. RICE may also
work, as might anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxants prescribed by a medical doctor. If
the problem does not resolve quickly, consider manipulation therapy from a chiropractor or
osteopath. Many recent scientific studies have established the effectiveness of
manipulation for lower-back pain.
A back injury does not necessarily mean you should
lay off exercising, says Dr. Levy. "In fact," notes Warren A. Scott, M.D., chief
of sports medicine at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Santa Clara, California,
"exercise, rather than rest, is recommended for most patients with back
problems." But you must back down from sports that involve twisting or jolting your
back or that require quick, sharp, sudden movements, the doctors caution.
Some activities that Dr. Levy considers relatively
pain-free for those with back problems are bicycling, walking, swimming, cross-country
skiing and water aerobics.
Runners, Dr. Levy says, need to cut down a bit and
run only on softer surfaces. Don't run if it makes your back pain worse, he says.
When to see a doctor: See
your doctor if pain radiates below your knee or is accompanied by any numbness or loss of
coordination or body control.
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- Seated Back Stretch
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- When you're able to move around more, sit in a chair
and spread your legs so that your knees extend beyond shoulder-width apart. Lean forward
with your hands on your knees and gently rock from side to side to give your back a gentle
stretch.
Slowly let your torso drop between your knees while
you slide your hands down to grip your ankles. For an added stretch, raise one arm over
your head. Hold for 15 seconds; repeat with your other arm.
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- Easing Dings and Irritations
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- The body is like a small child: Even
the most innocuous offenses make it scream for attention. You know the problem is minor,
but pain makes the situation impossible to ignore. This is good, because sometimes little
problems, left untreated, become big ones. Here's how to pacify pain from:
| A jammed finger.
Next time a flying ball goes head-to-head with an extended digit, grab the injured finger
with your thumb and index finger and pull for five seconds, rest five seconds, then pull
again, suggests David Janda, M.D., director of the Institute for Preventative Sports
Medicine in Ann Arbor, Michigan. That will stretch compressed tissue, align the joint
better and allow squished-out fluids to flow back in. |
| A whacked thumb. You
can handle a hammer, but it's the rock you use to pound a tent stake that will get you.
Lift the smashed thumb above the level of your heart and gently squeeze the tip for five
minutes to reduce swelling, bruising and pain, suggests Dr. Janda. |
| A low blow.
Everybody may be laughing, but it's no joke. Lie down and put a rolled towel or T-shirt
under your testicles, resting the ends of the roll on each thigh. "That will support
the scrotum so your testicles aren't hanging down and will also help get blood flowing to
the area," says William Forgey, M.D., author of Wilderness Medicine: Beyond First
Aid. |
| A bleeding gash.
Loss of blood is dangerous because you don't have that much to spare. To stanch its
outward flow, raise the wound above the level of your heart and put direct pressure on it
with the heel of your hand, using a clean gauze pad or washcloth, suggests Dr. Janda.
After about ten minutes, dress the wound with a clean, soft, bulky material—like a
shirt, towel, handkerchief, pillowcase, whatever works to spread pressure over a large
area around the wound. Now bind the dressing in place with cloth strips (torn, if
necessary), belts, cord or string, tying the knot so that it rests directly over the wound
for a snug fit. Don't tie it so tight that you cut off blood circulation. If your wound is
serious, Dr. Janda advises that you get to an emergency facility for a proper evaluation. |
| A speck in the eye.
When rubbing your eyes and crying tears won't dislodge grit, locate the speck with the
help of a mirror or friend, then flush the eye with a steady stream of water from a water
bottle, suggests Dr. Janda. Failing that, try pulling the top eyelid over the lower lid:
The lower lashes may sweep the grit out from under the upper eyelid. |
| Bruises. Got smacked
in the thigh with a softball and it's turning blue? Ice bruises, 20 minutes on, 20 off,
until the swelling goes down, says Allan M. Levy, M.D., team physician for the New York
Giants and partner at the Sports Medicine Center in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Use the rest of
the RICE program as well. |
| Scrapes. Clean and
disinfect them, treat with an antibiotic cream, then bandage, says Dr. Janda. |
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- Hamstrings
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- Pulled hamstring muscles are particularly common with
runners. You might have this injury if you feel debilitatingly sore muscles in the back of
one or both of your thighs.
For relief, ice the pained muscle three to four
times a day for about 20 minutes each time until the swelling goes down. This could be two
or three days, says Dr. Levy.
Unless you have a major rip, you can begin gently
stretching your hamstring muscles as early as the second day. Stretch slowly—don't
bounce or jerk—and push only to where it feels uncomfortable. Stop before reaching
the point of pain, says Dr. Levy. He recommends doing the following stretch.
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- Hurdler's Stretch
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- Begin by sitting on the floor with your injured leg
fully extended and the other leg bent at the knee and resting flat on the floor, the
bottom of its foot against the inside of the injured leg's thigh. Gently lean forward and
grasp the extended foot with both hands. Hold the stretch for 20 seconds. For balanced
conditioning, repeat with the other leg extended.
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- Neck
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- A neck injury can be a strain, sprain, rupture or
major compression causing paralysis, notes Dr. Levy. If a person exhibits numbness in or
the inability to move a body part following a blow to the neck or head, don't move them,
says Dr. Janda. Call for paramedics who know how to limit or avoid further injury in such
situations.
Waking up with a painful or stiff neck after
exercising or heavy lifting is another matter. If this is a common occurrence, ask a
physical trainer for a neck-strengthening routine. In the short-term, here's how to
rebound quickly from the injury, as suggested by Dr. Levy: Ice the area for 20 minutes on,
20 off. An anti-inflammatory medication can help bring down swelling and ease pain. Begin
restoring flexibility with the following gentle stretching exercises.
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- Seated Trapezius Stretch
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- Sitting in a chair, grasp the seat of the chair on
the side where you are feeling pain, and slowly and gently bend your upper body and neck
to the opposite side.
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- Shrugs
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- Lift your shoulders toward your ears as high as
possible, then drop them as low as they will go. Do five repetitions.
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- Shoulder Rolls
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- Standing with your arms at your sides, lift and roll
your shoulders in a circle, five times forward, five times backward.
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- Neck Turns
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- While sitting, body facing forward, slowly turn your
head to one side, gazing out over your shoulder, and then turn to the other. Do five reps.
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- Funky Chickens
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- After doing the neck turns described in the previous
exercise, jut your head and chin forward and back five times. (Guitarists sometimes do
this, keeping rhythm.)
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- Head
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- Any blow to the head that causes disorientation or
any loss of consciousness—even momentary—is considered a concussion and should
be taken seriously. If recovery is not rapid and progressive, get to the hospital fast.
Immediate treatment is rest and observation, so long as the victim has been checked by a
doctor and seems okay, says Dr. Levy. Watch for nausea, headache and further loss of
consciousness, all danger signs of possible internal bleeding.
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In a concussion, the brain swells. That makes it
particularly prone to a second injury from even the slightest glancing blow. So avoid
risky physical activity for at least seven days or until all symptoms—dizziness,
confusion, headache, fatigue, overall weakness—clear up, recommends Dr. Levy.
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