Natural Bodybuilding Question: What Should To Do If You Experience A Joint Injury?
I have lifted with that I thought was good form and also with moderate weight. Yet, my shoulders are killing me and I seem to have an injury since I cannot lift my arms past a certain point. What should I do now?
Answer: Sometimes, injuries still happen even when we do everything right. Life’s not fair sometimes. Dr. Raul Rivera (MD), my grandfather and orthopedic surgeon, taught me that what to do depends entirely upon the nature of the injury.
For Minor Injuries Use RICE
RICE is an acronym that refers to the following:
(R)est. This does not refer to laying in bed but instead stopping to do the activity that created the injury or at least stopping to do movements that cause pain. As a matter of fact in my personal experience and in my conversations with sports medicine doctors if you can continue training without pain the healing process will be faster. Keep in mind that the exercise promoted blood flow helps to deliver valuable nutrients to the damaged areas. The trick is to find exercises or angles of an exercise that allow for execution without pain. Dumbbell training is a valuable ally for training with injuries due to the versatility of the exercises that can be performed with them.
(I)ce. Using ice immediately after the injury is great for numbing the pain and reducing the swelling of the injure area. The quicker you apply this ice, the better. Apply the ice pack for 20 minutes, then remove for 20 minutes. Continue this pattern for as long as you want for 24-36 hours. For those of you who hate ice, at the very least attempt to do 20 minutes every hour for good results.
(C)ompression. Use an elastic bandage to wrap the injured area with a layer or two. You can apply the ice pack after the second layer and then continue the wrapping but make sure that you don’t wrap yourself so tight that you cut off circulation. However, make it tight enough to prevent fluid from accumulating in the injured area. This is the whole purpose of compression.
(E)levation. Get the injured area elevated above your torso. While tricky, this is something that can be done when you lay at night in bed.
Important Note: If within 24-36 hours you don’t see any improvements, and especially, if your condition worsens, please visit your doctor immediately.
If You Get An Injury That Causes Immediate Bruising Go To The Doctor Immediately
Bruising of the area with immediate swelling are signs of a serious injury; possibly in the form of a tear. Make sure that you go to the doctor immediately if this is the case!
Note: the best way to get the absolute fastest muscle gains and not get injured is to practice picture perfect form! for a GREAT programs with solid videos that teach the best exercise execution please take a look at my MI-40 review here and also find out how you can get my program Body Re-Engineering for FREE.]
