As Mid-Missouri chiropractors, all too often we see patients who have re-injured themselves after returning too quickly to their workout regimen! At Tiger Family Chiropractic, we love an enthusiastic approach to physical fitness; however, there’s one mistake that people make that does more harm than good when trying to recover from a muscle injury: icing the affected area prior to the workout.
Why shouldn’t you ice your injuries before a workout?
When icing an area, you reduce inflammation and the muscle itself becomes cold and less flexible. Therefore, the likelihood of reinjuring or aggravating a minor injury becomes much higher.
We’re big fans of icing your injuries, just do it after your activity.
Instead of ice:
Prior to activity, consider warming the muscle — a warm shower or briskly rubbing the muscle.
Another thing to consider:
Remember to keep your posture in mind when you’re running on a treadmill, especially when using the incline function.
As we walk or run uphill, our bodies naturally lean forward. In the natural setting this typically poses no issue, as hills naturally level out, but on an indoor treadmill, some people use the incline function the entire workout. The change in your posture to bend slightly forward can really open the door to an injury, especially for your back!
If you are a treadmill user, we encourage you to pace your incline usage. Pick a reasonable amount of time. Go on a natural walk outside and see how long your inclines last and replicate those time periods in your indoor workouts. Increase your speed to get your heart rate up.
Of course, if you experience any pain or discomfort during your workout, you should stop immediately. If that’s the case, consider scheduling an appointment with an experienced, local chiropractic office. We have the perfect one in mind.