injured? Three common mistakes you could be making

We see lots of people and lots of different injuries here. Generally our clients take great care of themselves when injured. But there are a few things that many of our clients would like to have known that bit sooner!
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Ice, ice, baby

Inflammation can be painful and sounds very threatening, but it is actually necessary for an injury to go through some inflammation to make it through to the next part of the healing process. Rest, ice, elevation (and compression) is a great way to limit inflammation and pain, but there must be breaks in between ice application. Frostbite is a very real injury that has been known to occur at around 20-40 minutes of constant ice application.
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• Stick to an application time of 15-20 minutes three times daily. Remember to wrap the ice or ice pack in a tea towel or similar to prevent burning the skin. 

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The wrong shoes

High heels, flip flops and flat shoes may be the worst shoes to wear whilst carrying an injury. High heels not only alter the alignment of the whole body (tipping everything out of shape from top to bottom), the challenge they pose to your balance is much higher when you are carrying an injury - and the last thing we would want is a nasty fall when you are already injured! Flip flops and flat shoes provide little to no support, which may not always cause problems, but when the body is trying to heal it can be a big factor.

The right shoes for you will depend on your circumstances, but as a general rule try to stick to:
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• A low heel of no more than 4cm with a broad base
• A cushioned sole
• Breathable materials such as fabric or leather
• Toe box that is big enough for toes to wriggle

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soldiering on

Playing on until the end of the session is so very tempting and there may be pressure to continue. But in most cases this will aggravate injury further and cause more problems in the long run by taking a longer time to heal. It could result in a bigger build up of scar tissue - more scar tissue usually means less flexibility and lower tensile strength! You may also be more prone to re-injury later on.
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• If you feel something ‘go’, stop what you’re doing as soon as you can. It may be only a small injury that requires just a couple of days rest. But if after the initial first 2 days of rest and ice, you feel no improvement, book yourself into see a sports therapist for treatment and advice.

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References
1. Milne, C. Pain and Injury in Sport: Social and Ethical Analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 40(11), 950-951.2. Mika, A. Oleksy,L. Mika, P. Marchewka, A and Clark, BC. The influence of heel height on lower extremity kinematics and leg muscle activity during gait in young and middle-aged women. Gait Posture, 35 (4), 677-680.3. Carl, TJ and Barrett, SL. Computerized Analysis of Plantar Pressure Variation in Flip Flops, Athletic Shoes and Bare Feet. Journal of American Podiatric Medical Association, 98 (5), 374-378.4. Graham, C. and Stevenson, J. Frozen chips: an unusual cause of severe frostbite injury. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 34(5), 382-383.5. Bleakley, C. McDonough, S. and MacAuley, D. The Use of Ice in the Treatment of Acute Soft-Tissue Injury. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 32(1), 251-261.