Bodybuilding Tips – How Can You Use First Aid For Bodybuilding Injuries?

Many of you who have followed my articles will know that I am a serious advocate of avoiding bodybuilding injuries by constantly emphasizing on proper warm ups and using proper form and techniques during weight lifting in the gym. Perhaps you’re thinking “this Ted nags me more than my wife does, so halftime, Teddy boy!”, so halftime it is – in the form of a different type of article from yours truly, one that deals not with preventative measures, but rather with treatment of injuries that have just occurred.

Bodybuilding induced injuries are commonplace, in fact, no matter how well you warm up and practice established techniques, and like other types of injuries, require immediate first aid. That is assuming that the injuries sustained are not too serious that need immediate medical attention.

It is possible to hurt from bodybuilding – let’s be realistic here. But how do you know when it’s a good hurt or a bad hurt?

The good type of pain is known by bodybuilding experts as delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS – think of how your muscles feel after bodybuilding, don’t you usually feel a dull ache at times? While, of course there are exceptions to the rule, this is generally an ache that reflects that your weight lifting workout has been all for the better, an effective workout that has truly pushed your muscles to their optimum limit.

The bad hurt, which generally signifies an injury, is usually sharp pain and the pain comes from a specific spot like in a specific joint or muscle spot. Initially, it doesn’t seem like much, perhaps a little discomfort, but nothing more than that…for the time being. Next thing you know, you are in full-blown pain! Oh noes – it’s not a minor discomfort after all!

How about some RICE – no, not that carbohydrate, read on and you’ll find out!

You do not eat this RICE, you apply it on your weightlifting injuries, and while you cannot eat it with your meals, you can definitely have it treat minor pains such as sprains, painful joints, pulled ligaments and tendinitis, among others.

R. Rest

I. Ice

C. Compression

E. Elevation

Rest. Do not allow your injury to be exacerbated by tiring activities. You might even want to consider putting your gym workout on the shelf for a couple weeks or so. Rest can mean the difference between a long recuperation (and possibly medical invasive procedures) or just a few days or a few weeks off.

Ice. Ice helps reduce swelling by restricting blood flow. 15-20 minutes, three to four times a day is recommended as long as the pain remains.

Compression. You can also reduce swelling by applying pressure on the injured area. Pretty simple – just grab a towel or a piece of bandage and wrap it tightly around the injured area, but not too tight to the point that blood flow is constricted and you start feeling numb.

Elevation. Finally, swelling can be reduced by slightly raising the injured body part.

Your injury should soon be history with a little bit of that RICE treatment. Most of the time, you should see some results within 20 minutes of treatment. But on the other hand, if the pain remains the same or intensifies, then you don’t need RICE – you need to see a sports doctor or other medical professional, as there may be more than meets the eye to your injury.

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