Recovering from an injury can be a lengthy process even with medication and physiotherapy, though there are ways to help a loved one speed up the recovery process without prescription drugs or expensive physiotherapy treatment. Many people are now aware that painkillers like Ibuprofen and Paracetamol offer little more than short term relief, though what isn’t common knowledge is that natural remedies can help in speeding up the recovery process. The next time a loved one suffers an injury – and before they return from the pharmacy with a bag of pills – try some of these natural remedies to help them recover quickly and naturally. RICE – Perfect for sprains RICE isn’t a natural therapy per se, though it doesn’t require any medication or ointments and should precede any natural therapies you try when a loved one injures themselves. RICE is an acronym for:
- Rest the injured body part
- Ice it to decrease pain and swelling
- Compress it with an elastic bandage
- Elevate the injured part
Whilst RICE is an excellent means of treating sports injuries and sprains, it may still be the case that your loved one may need to seek medical treatment – as you’re not a doctor you can’t provide an informed diagnosis. Vitamins and minerals The most important vitamins in aiding injury recovery are Vitamins A, C and E, along with minerals such as selenium and zinc. Vitamin C is the most important as it plays a major role in the muscle repair process, whilst Vitamin A helps to maintain bursal tissues and tendons. Selenium and zinc also aid the muscle repair process, plus they’re powerful antioxidants that help to remove damaged cells from the body. Curcumin – A natural alternative to Ibuprofen Ibuprofen is a well-known anti-inflammatory agent that many people immediately reach for the moment they suffer an injury that results in inflammation. However, what many people don’t know about anti-inflammatories like Ibuprofen – these are also known as Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatories (NSAIDS) – is that they may cause a number of health complaints including liver and kidney problems, gastrointestinal bleeding and stomach ulcers, so natural alternatives are a much better choice. Curcumin, which is the yellow pigment of turmeric, is considered one of the most outstanding natural anti-inflammatory agents currently known and it’s a powerful antioxidant it also helps to remove toxins from the body. Analgesic herbs Arnica, comfrey and St John’s wort are all excellent examples of analgesic herbs that can be used to treat bruises, inflammation and pain. These are all readily available from natural product stores and you can help your loved one apply them to areas that they might find hard to reach like their back and shoulders. Chiropractic treatment Chiropractic treatment has traditionally focused on the spine, though many chiropractors have branched out to make adjustments to other parts of the body and treat injuries. If a loved one has suffered a back injury, taking them to see a chiropractor for treatment might be a good idea and it suffices to say that due to what chiropractic treatment involves, you should never try to administer treatment yourself. Sports massage Unlike chiropractic treatment, sports massage is something that you can administer yourself, though it would be wise to enrol in recognised massage courses, most notably a deep tissue or sports massage course, before administering massage therapy to a loved one with an injury. Deep tissue and sports massage are excellent for preventing injuries as well as treating them by improving flexibility. This is a prominent reason for stretching before exercising. By learning how to administer deep tissue or sports massage therapy you’ll aid your loved one’s recovery process by:
- Stretching muscles and relieving tension
- Breaking down scar tissue
- Flushing out waste such as dead cells
- Dilating blood vessels to aid the flow of nutrients and oxygen
To enhance the healing effects of deep tissue and sports massage, make a hot pack out of fabric and raw legumes or rice, heat it in the microwave until hot and apply to the injured area as this also helps to break down scar tissue and flush out waste. Natural therapies are the best way to help a loved one recover from an injury; naturally and without any unwanted side-effects. Author Bio: Ulysses is a professional writer for Discover Massage, a business in Australia that provides a large number of Massage Courses across the country. They first started out in 1995 with only two courses per year in Victoria.