Don’t let a sprain and strain keep you from smashing your workout goals!
Have you experienced a sharp, stabbing pain while you were lifting weights? Have you noticed pain or weakness in your knee or ankle after a particularly challenging aerobics class? Strains and sprains are a common gym injury, but at Jenna Howe & Associates Osteopathy and Concussion Recovery, we’ll have you back to your workout quickly and safely.
A gym membership is a great way to get fit and reduce stress. They make expensive workout equipment much more accessible, so you can lift heavy weights or use an elliptical machine without investing in your own. Many gyms offer fun group exercise classes, too.
However, it can be easy to accidentally overdo it at the gym, especially if you’re just starting out. Soft-tissue injuries comprise the bulk of gym-related injuries, with recovery times ranging from a few weeks to months, depending on the severity of the injury.
Fortunately, the team of osteopathic therapists at Jenna Howe & Associates Osteopathy and Concussion Recovery is here to help even the most seasoned gym-goers recover from injury. Whether you lift weights, rock those aerobic classes, or reign supreme on the cardio machines, our holistic approach to healing will have you back on your game in no time!
How to Know if You’ve Injured Yourself at the Gym
At the gym, you’re most likely to suffer a sprain or a strain.
A sprain is an injury to the ligaments in your joints, such as your ankle or knee. Your ligaments connect the bones of your joints, and if you force those joints too far out of their natural range of motion, the ligament stretches beyond what it can handle. In extreme cases, the ligament might tear completely. Symptoms of a joint sprain include the following:
- Pain
- Swelling
- Limited range of motion in the joint
A strain is an injury to a muscle or tendon, the tissue connecting your muscles to your bones. As with a strain, you may have simply overstretched the muscle, but in more extreme cases, you might have torn it completely. Symptoms of a strain include the following:
- Pain
- Muscle spasms
- Redness, bruising, or swelling
- Limited range of motion
- Muscle weakness
Depending on your preferred type of workout, you may be more at risk for one type of injury over another. For example, weightlifters are particularly susceptible to muscle strains, particularly in the muscles of the back, shoulders, and knees. However, runners are also prone to muscle strains, and any high-impact movements, such as box-jumping, could lead to a joint sprain.
How Osteopathic Therapy Will Help Treat Your Gym Injury
The immediate first step for both strains and sprains is to stop the activity, rest the injured area, and apply ice to help reduce pain. However, the therapists at Jenna Howe & Associates Osteopathy and Concussion Recovery can provide more in-depth treatment, helping to speed up your recovery without sacrificing safety.
One of the most significant benefits of osteopathic therapy is that we take a drug-free approach to pain management. We’ll help you control the pain of your injury while encouraging your body’s natural healing processes. Here are just a few of the approaches we might take:
Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy
- This hands-on treatment involves gently manipulating the muscles or joints to reduce pain and encourage healing.
Improve Range of Motion
- We’ll help you gently work the area affected by your injury, slowly improving your range of motion so you don’t lose functionality as you recover.
Prevention Education
- We take a “whole-person” approach to your care, which means we want to help you get better now and ensure you don’t injure yourself in the future. We’ll show you warm-up exercises and other prevention tips to protect yourself from further injury.
Return-to-Gym Schedule
- We know how eager you are to get back to your workout routine. Our osteopathic therapists will help you do so safely, providing progressive exercises and modifications so you can return to the gym with confidence.
What to Expect During Your Appointments
At your initial appointment, one of our therapists will conduct a comprehensive physical exam to determine the exact nature of your injury. We’ll also talk to you about your health history and recovery goals. Our holistic approach to care means we want to treat you, not an injury.
Once we understand your specific needs, we’ll develop a customized treatment plan. The exact details will vary by patient, but you can expect a lot of hands-on healing as we manipulate your joints and muscles and help improve your range of motion. We can also provide modified exercises so you can stay active while you heal.
Get moving again with Jenna Howe & Associates Osteopathy and Concussion Recovery!
It’s important not to let your gym injuries linger. “Working through the pain” will only lead to more injuries down the road.
Whether you’re a weightlifter, runner, or aerobics class aficionado, our osteopathic therapists can help when you experience a sprain or strain during a workout. Request an appointment with Jenna Howe & Associates Osteopathy and Concussion Recovery in Victoria BC, or Burnaby, BC, and we’ll have you back in the gym in no time.
