It’s Friday, so I’m linking up with Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness for Friday Five 2.0. I’ve been running pretty much injury free since my hamstring tear in late 2015. This week, I did some track work and aggravated my glute/hamstring. That was on Tuesday. I ran Wednesday but it flared up in the last few miles. Today’s post contains five things to do at the first sign of a running injury. It’s mostly to remind myself to follow my own advice.
5 Things to Do at the First Sign of a Running Injury
1. Stay calm. I’m trying to remind myself how lucky I am that I don’t have a big race coming up. I don’t need to panic. I don’t see bruising so I don’t think anything is torn. My glute/upper hamstring is just a little angry with me. This too shall pass.
2. Rest. This one is hard for me. I’m terrible about resting. I know I need to take a few days to a week off from running to let the inflammation heal and to let the injury calm down. The rest will do me good – right?
3. Ice. I tried a lacrosse ball and foam roller on Tuesday but once I felt the pain and inflammation, I switched to ice. I’ve been sitting on a Trigger Point ice pack and it’s great!
4. Pain Relief. I don’t normally take anti-inflammatories but I grabbed some Aleve. I also got some Salonpas Pain Relieving Cream and Relieving Gel to try for the blog. The gel is an analgesic and it warms it and numbs the pain. Stay tuned for a full review and giveaway.
5. Remember #1. I’m going to try to be smart with this injury (or hopefully just a small inflammation). I’m going to keep calm, rest up and hope for the best. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it.
What works for you at the onset of an injury? Anything I’ve missed?
Have a great weekend, friends! I hope yours is pain free.
PS. Don’t forget my great giveaways!
Please note: I received samples of Salonpas products for review purposes. I was not otherwise compensated to mention them. All opinions are my own.