10 Tips To Support Your Recovery After An Injury

Dealing with an injury can be incredibly difficult. You’ve got to manage your physical recovery, as well as your mental recovery. To prepare yourself for the journey ahead, these hints and tips are a great starting point.

Physical Recovery Tips

1 . Work with a physio 

Depending on your type of injury, you may benefit from physiotherapy. A physiotherapist works with patients affected by illness, disability, or injury. They use education, manual therapy, movement, sports massage, and exercise. With the help of physiotherapy, patients can benefit from a faster recovery and improved independence. If you’ve experienced a physical injury, due to an accident or sports activity, your physiotherapist can recreate a personalized rehabilitation plan.

Depending on the cause of your injury, you may be entitled to claim compensation. If you were injured in a car accident that was caused by another driver, you might be able to claim on a civil negligence lawsuit. To learn more, speak to your local personal injury lawyer.

2. The right diet

When the body is healing it’s important that you have the right diet. Make sure that you consume plenty of healthy nutrient-rich foods. You might also wish to focus on foods that are specifically associated with healing, here are a few options:

• Omega 3 fatty acids: consume chia seeds, walnuts, and fish.
• Vitamin C foods: eat plenty of citrus fruits, spinach, tomatoes, and broccoli.
• Foods that contain zinc: foods like nuts, meat, and whole grains can help to heal muscle tissue.

3. Get enough sleep

To aid your recovery you must get enough sleep. Make sure that you establish a relaxing bedtime routine, and get at least 7-8hours sleep per night. Unless you get enough sleep your body will lack the energy needed for recovery. Some people find themselves struggling to sleep after an injury, this could be due to pain or anxiety. If you need some help sleeping, here are a few ideas that might help:

• Try natural sleep aids, for instance, CBD or Valerian.
• Download apps for sleep and meditation.
• Switch off your electronics at least an hour before you go to sleep.
• Purchase a high-quality mattress that supports your whole body.

4. Massages can help

Massages are a great treatment for pain, sore muscles, and joints. If your treatment plan doesn’t include many massages, you might look into booking a few separate sessions. There are so many different benefits of massage therapy including:

• Can boost the immune system.
• Works to improve circulation.
• Helpful to reduce pain.
• Target tension in specific areas of the body.
• A great way to improve your mental health in general.

5. Follow your rehab plan

Your doctors will have provided a rehabilitation plan, to support each stage of your recovery. You must follow your plan carefully, taking any advice that your doctor gives you. Ensure that you ask plenty of questions about your treatment, particularly if you’re unsure.

Mental Recovery Tips 

1 . Establish a routine

Recovering from an injury can be mentally draining, you might find yourself feeling depressed, anxious, or stressed out. It’s normal to feel mentally affected by an injury, remind yourself that these feelings will pass. To manage your mental health, it’s best to establish a routine. Try to keep things as normal as you can, do as many of your regular activities as you can manage.

2. Try Meditation

Meditation is a great way to relax and unwind, with the help of regular mediation sessions you’ll improve your mental health. Apps are one of the most accessible ways to access meditation. Meditation apps can help you to focus on a particular style or theme of meditation. To get started on your journey, check out a few of these applications:

• Meditopia
• Buddhify
• Unplug
• Sanvello 

3. Write in a journal 

Writing in a journal can be an incredibly helpful recovery tool. You can use your journal to write about your progress, and reflect on your emotions. It’s useful to write down any activities that cause you pain. You might also record any movements that make you feel better. Writing a timeline of your progress is helpful to assess your recovery. You might also use this info when you have sessions with your physio. Journaling has plenty of great benefits for mental health, including:

• You can use your journal as a space to reflect on your emotions.
• Write down any goals you have for recovery.
• You can solve any difficult situations or feelings.

4. Regain control

Recovery can take time, and you won’t have much control over the situation. When you’re waiting to recover, you might start to feel defeated and down. To improve your mental health, you need to try and regain a sense of control. So how do you do this? What you need to do is focus on the things that you can control. Make a list of things that you can do to make yourself feel better. A few starting point ideas include:

• Get extra advice from your physio.
• Improve your diet.
• Add new activities to your self-care regime
• Research your injury for extra ideas.

5. Positive affirmations

Positive affirmations are a fantastic way to improve your mental health. A positive affirmation is simply a positive statement, designed to eliminate negative thinking. You can express positive affirmations in several ways, whether you write them down, or you speak them out loud. Here are a few example positive affirmations, these are specifically aimed at recovery:

• I will give my body nourishing foods, to help myself heal.
• Everyday I grow a little stronger.
• The more I learn, the easier it is to cope.
• I will give my body the rest it needs.
• I set myself small goals every day.

Using these ten tips you’ll support both your body and mind after an injury. Recovering from an injury can be difficult, but with the right knowledge and tools, you’ll make the process a whole lot easier. Don’t forget to check in with your doctor regularly. You’ll need ongoing support, to help you manage your progress.