After the first aid measures, the body parts affected by strains and contusions should be cooled and elevated or relieved for several days. Careful, slow movements in the case of a strain improve blood flow to the tissue and thus promote the healing process.
In the case of a contusion, more caution should generally be exercised: Only when the swelling and bruising have subsided may more exercise be resumed. How long sporting activity must be suspended depends on the extent of the injury and the discomfort.
Duration of bruises and strains
As a rule of thumb for strains and bruises, you can carefully resume exercising and stretching when you are no longer in pain – which can take as long for a bruise as it does for a fracture.
If it is only a slight strain or overstretching, you can be fit again after three to five days if treated immediately. Torn muscle fibers or torn muscles require several weeks of rest to prevent the formation of scars, which are particularly susceptible to re-injury. If in doubt, ask your doctor.
Reduce the risk of injury
Avoid injuries when exercising by exercising in doses appropriate to your fitness level to prevent misuse and overuse, and by warming up for a sufficiently long time (stretching exercises, slow running).
The warm-up training should be geared to the respective sport and, above all, should already take place under the same conditions under which training or a competition will take place later. In concrete terms, this means, for example, that you already put on the same shoes in order to put the muscles and joints under the appropriate strain.
It is also better to do without the long training suit, because if you take it off, it comes to a drop in temperature, which again narrows the vessels dilated by the warm-up and thus increases the risk of injury.
Avoid bruises and strains during sports
Also note the following tips to avoid bruises and strains during sports:
- Especially after an illness (perhaps not yet fully healed), take it slow.
- Also, overtiredness and hypothermia increase the risk of a strain.
- If a joint is your known weak point (for example, if you keep twisting), protect it with an elastic bandage, for example.
- Do you do a sport in which certain injuries are clustered, prevent with appropriate protective clothing – for example, knee pads for volleyball, a helmet for inline skating, a back protector for mountain biking or an ankle cuff for martial arts.
