How To Recover After A Muscle Injury

If you work out regularly, you have likely experienced pain, muscle strain, or other injuries. There are conflicting opinions on how to best recover after a muscle injury. The FitFormula Wellness team sat down with expert Trainer Carrie Seifert of Transformative Training to discuss the best ways to heal after a muscle injury.

The RICE Method

If you’ve ever experienced an acute or sudden injury, you probably followed your doctor’s orders to recover with the RICE method: Rest, Immobilize, Cold (ice), and Elevate. However, as Carrie explains, it may not be the best solution.

“While these interventions may give temporary relief, they rarely do anything to help reduce symptoms in the long-term,” explained Carrie. “Doctors often fail to emphasize that the RICE method is only effective 24-96 hours post-injury, depending on the severity of the injury.”

“Many individuals develop an excess abundance of hesitation and fear around their bumps, bruises, sprains, strains, etc. This creates a longer-than-necessary period of resting and immobilization: a few days of RICE turns into several weeks and months of no physical activity,” explained Carrie.

“Resting your pain away is the rust that keeps your body from fully healing and moving freely. Motion is the lotion that strengthens your body for increases in load and stress. Avoiding areas of soreness or discomfort can lead to disuse and weakness, which only perpetuates the root cause of pain. Daily movement is a highly effective form of rehabilitation and treatment for any orthopedic injury,” said Carrie.

Carrie believes a healthy balance of motion is as easy as ABC(DE):  

Activate the body’s stabilizer muscles with foundational core exercises (e.g., planks, beasts, bird dogs), which are appropriate for all ages and skill levels. 

Balance and center your body weight during movements to prevent further injury from slips and instability. 

Condition your circulatory system with short bursts of high-intensity anaerobic work (e.g., thrusters, kettlebell swings, lunges). 

De-Stress and release high tension “knots” in the musculature with the MyT-Roller or any hard, dense ball. 

Exercise each day; this can be as simple as a quick walk around the neighborhood to your favorite recreational activity to a group fitness class. 

Sleep is Essential

One of the best things you can do for your body when you are injured is rest. Chances are, if you are having muscle or joint pain, sleep may not be easy for you right now. When you’re in pain, it is difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep.

FitFormula’s Blueberry Flavored Sleep Formula will help you sleep through the night and get the rest you need to wake up feeling rejuvenated. 

FitFormula’s non-habit-forming sleep aid contains GABA and Melatonin. These ingredients are proven to help people with occasional insomnia relax and gently drift to sleep. Each individually wrapped packet contains everything needed for a good night’s sleep. The flavorful powder dissolves instantly on the tongue, in water, or other liquids.

Use promo code BOGOSLEEP to receive 60 sleep packets for just $19.99!

Post-Workout Supplements

When you recover and are ready to hit the gym again, consider a post-workout supplement.

Post-workout supplements, like FitFormula’s PostFormula, promote muscle recovery in a couple of different ways. It has the Essential Amino Acids and Branch Chain Amino Acids you need, plus coconut water powder that will help you recover faster and rehydrate your body after tough workouts. 

PostFormula has all the best and necessary ingredients available combined into a delicious Strawberry Lemonade flavor to create a revolutionary post-workout recovery and hydration formula. It will leave you feeling recovered and hydrated, which helps increase muscle, strength, and stamina!