Recently, I was attempting my 7th leg squat repetition, and zap - an erector spinae muscle strain, or sprain occurred. This very surprising event forced me to stop immediately, and slowly head home in pain.I think in 25 years of training this is only the second minor injury that I had experienced.

Please be advised, if you workout, there will probably be a time when you suffer from a muscle spain. Heck, you don’t even have to workout, and there is a good chance in your lifetime that you will experience discomfort from a muscle, or joint sprain.

So what should you do if this happens to you? Here is what I did to help my recovery. It took one week, and I was back in the gym.

1. Stop what you are doing! If you strain a muscle you will know it. It has a tendency to talk back. Therefore, don’t tough it out. Stop the exercise immediately.

2. Don’t panic! Stay calm.

3. Head for the ice to begin R.I.C.E. Applying ice immediately after the injury occurs, and up to 48 hours, will significantly assist your recovery by alleviating pain, and reducing swelling. Ice will limit blood flow to the muscle, and help manage some of the discomfort.

You will want to ice the injured area for 15 minutes only, then take 20 minutes off, and ice again for another 15 minutes. You can repeat this cycle for as many times as you like up until 48 hours.

Here is what R.I.C.E. means:

REST - Avoid exercise on the muscle sprain for days. Let the healing process begin where collagen replaces the injured area with scar tissue. Going back to the gym too soon, and exercising the troubled muscle, or joint may cause further damage.

ICE - I’ve given you the prescription above. 15 minutes of ice, with 20 minutes off. Then continue for up to 48 hours. When I came home from the gym after my back muscle strain I went right for the big bag of frozen vegetables. That did the trick.

COMPRESS - Compression helps limit swelling which can slow down healing. Wrap an ACE bandage around the injured muscle or joint. Make sure it is not wrapped too tight.

ELEVATE - Elevate the injured area above your heart level to help reduce swelling.

After 48 hours, if pain is still persistent, go seek medical help. Otherwise, you can look for the heating pad to help draw blood into the injured area. Use the same protocol. Apply heat for 15 minutes, and rest for 20.

Once the muscle strain is healed you can slowly begin stretching, and strengthening the formerly injured area.

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