Rub Dirt in It #ReadersWorkouts
Welcome to Readers’ Workouts, the weekly event where book lovers share workout stories, goals, successes, and challenges.
After bragging in my post just last week that I hadn’t injured myself in over a year, I turned my ankle while working in the garden yesterday. Argh!
So this week, I can write about my proven recovery technique for turned ankles, wrenched knees, and pulled back muscles. My first priority is to keep the swelling down. I use RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) plus Naproxen for that purpose.
My second priority, which counteracts the first a little, is to keep going. I recover more quickly with a combination of rest and movement. I employ a kind of Midwestern callousness. We’ll tell a child with a scraped knee to rub dirt in it. Which is not taken literally. It’s a reminder that small unsolvable problems are best handled by a refusal to whine and a determination to get on with things.
So, I’ll be doing a lot RICE and Naproxen today. My exercise session will be stretching and dumb bells. But, I’ll rub some dirt in it and do a little walking, too. So far, the evidence is that my ankle feels a little better after five minutes of slow walking than it did before. I hope by this time next week, I’ll report that I’m walking for exercise again.
How do you handle minor injuries?
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I had to skip sparring yesterday because my car is in the shop for brake work, unhappy about that.
When I’m in karate, I wear the shin compression sleeves, which are supposed to prevent another torn calf muscle and seem to be doing that well. I’m a veteran of many sprained ankles and RICE worked fine on them. Oddly, ice is the only thing that helps a mosquito bite on me.
I never thought of ice on a mosquito bite — I’m going to try that!
Ice on bites is great. I also use a frozen washcloth. I take it to work with me and keep it in the freezer until I need it. Then I make it damp again and back in the freezer it goes. This also helps for sunburn, but instead of freezer I keep it in the fridge.
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It really depends for me. When my knees are bothering me, I keep moving. Now when I did something to my shoulder, it needed lots of rest- doing anything just seemed to re-aggravate it.
Thankfully, I haven’t had many actual injuries.
Oh, no! Take care of yourself. I’m glad what you’re doing is working for you.
Sorry to hear you hurt you ankle, but RICE is a great way to treat it! I’ve never heard “Rub dirt in it” before, lol!
After an injury, I need to rest more than I do. It’s hard to lay off but sometimes you have to. Ice is good too.
I have a tendency to turn my ankle and have done so many times, and I think it’s a bit weak actually. I tend to be very careful when I am on uneven ground (hiking), and make sure to wear proper sports shoes.
I tend to rest up my ankle as much as possible when it’s hurt. Regular work is fine, but active exercising is a no-no as I tend to bounce back faster with rest.