It’s easy to get carried away with exercise if you are a weekend warrior or have some disposable time in your schedule that allows for additional workouts. The problem occurs when you exercise to the point where you injure your muscles or joints. This is called an overuse injury. These types of injuries typically start with sore joints or muscles. If the movements continue without adequate rest and recovery then muscles can actually be damaged, swollen and take a significant amount of time to heal.
Sore shoulders, knee, tendonitis, and stress fractures to bones are all common overuse injuries. If you feel like you have the start of an overuse injury there is a simple acronym that you can remember; RICE. RICE stands for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. Let’s breakdown RICE a little more:
Rest: that means stop doing what caused the problem to begin with. For instance, if you like aerobic exercise like running and your shins hurt, stop running for a while. If you really want to continue to exercise then try cycling, swimming or an elliptical trainer. This will give your shins a break and you can still get your exercise fix.
Ice: I have heard you can never go wrong with icing an injury. I’d agree but careful not to leave the ice on too long. The general recommendation is to ice for up to 20 minutes on the affected area 2-3 times per day.
Compression: If you haven’t noticed compression wear is really making a showing in competitive athletics. Compression socks are worn over the foot and up to the knee. They assist in recovery and keep working muscles feeling better longer during and after workouts.
Elevation: Elevating an injury will assist in “draining” the inflammation out of the injured area. Blood flow is essential for healing an injury and recovery between workouts. If you have an injury, especially to an area of the legs, try to elevate it so you can minimize time out of action.
Pay particular attention to times in your workout routine where you may increase the amount or intensity of exercise. If your muscles or joints are noticeably sore and or stiff it could be time to adjust your workouts to avoid an overuse injury.