Different treatments to help the body recover after a workout
At one time or another if you are a runner, or any person that is involved with exercise, the chances of some type of injury will occur. After a very strenuous workout, the muscles are often sore and may be a little swelling in a few joints. Depending on the severity of the injury, runners will find any number of methods to treat them. Some are tried and true and a few others are of the home remedy type. Some treatments are right out of a medical journal and some are word of mouth from runners.
The most common treatment for muscle aches is the standby of “RICE” — rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Most Athletic Trainer textbooks recommend this for bumps, bruises and muscle pulls. For the most part, this form of treatment has been successful. The “ice” part of the treatment has several variations. A simple towel wrapped around some ice cubes works well for home treatment. The over-the-counter ice packs you buy at the store is another standard method. The nice thing about the plastic gel ice packs is that they can be stored in the refrigerator freezer and used over and over.
One method I have not tried but have seen used is the immersion in a whirlpool full of ice slush. When I worked with the NHL, hockey players in preseason workouts would climb into this ice filled whirlpool with their entire body and sit to cool off. Having had trouble putting my foot into a bucket filled with ice water, I just could not imagine what it must be like climbing into that mixture with the entire body. They just climbed in and carried on conversation with the player next to them.
Another ice treatment was “ice massage,” taking a paper or Styrofoam cup filled with water you put it in the freezer unit and make a cup of ice. By peeling off the top layer of the cup to make it look like an ice cream cone, the runner will massage the injured area. Some people were concerned about the ice being in direct contact with the skin and causing an “ice burn.” As long as the cup is kept moving back and forth over the area, this seemed to work. The ice massage had two advantages. One was the cold that relieved some pain and swelling and the other was the massaging effect on moving any swollen fluid out of the injured area. When I trained for marathons I used to have some swelling in my Achilles tendon that would cause some pain on my longer runs. After a run, I took the ice cups and massaged the back of my leg and heel area for about 25 minutes. I still think that type of treatment worked well enough to keep me on the road.
Some recent publications have recommended treating the area with warm heat. This is more for sore muscles after a hard workout. It feels better than ice and cold. Putting heat on a sprained ankle will increase the swelling and delay getting back on the road. I had a student sprain his ankle during a PE class. We had no ice at the time so I sent him to the restroom and had him flush the toilet over his ankle for the rest of the class. His mother was worried and the doctor told him to put his foot in a bucket with warm water and Epsom salts. He came to class the next day with a foot that looked like a football. He spent that class period with his foot in the toilet and flushing away the swelling again.
Another standard treatment is rubbing the area with a topical pain-relieving cream that can be bought at a drug store. There are several brands advertised for this form of treatment. The latest seems to be a CBD salve that some claim works very well. I am not sure what athletic teams use now but years ago the analgesic balm was the go-to treatment. It smelled like peppermint and caused the skin to turn a nice red color. Some players used to rub this balm over their legs before a game to warm the muscles up. I was never quite sure if the heat generated by this formula ever reached muscle depth. And if the injury was a cut or scrape the treatment was “nitrotan.” I think the logic was if something hurts this bad on the cut, it must be good for you.
One of the most enjoyable treatments is a nice massage from a massage therapist. I have seen many massage therapists after marathons set up and for $10 they will give you a 15-minute massage. A nice massage feels good at any time and a good rub down on the legs after running over 26 miles can be a real reward for your efforts.
And if all of this fails, there is always “take two aspirin and call me in the morning” treatment.
