Recover Faster from Injuries

In Aesop’s classic fable “The Tortoise and the Hare,” the slow and steady tortoise manages to cross the finish line before the arrogant hare. There have been numerous interpretations of the fable’s meaning throughout the centuries, but it illustrates the point that sometimes faster isn’t necessarily better when trying to cross a finish line first.

When we think about injury recovery, you’ve crossed the finish line when you are free from pain and able to resume your normal activities. You certainly want to cross that line in the shortest amount of time, and one technique for doing so is, paradoxically, to slow down. “Way down,” actually.

See, your body has an impressive ability to recover from physical injury, but it needs time. During the time of tissue repair, you don’t want to further damage the injured area. That can happen when you keep doing your normal activities. As such, if you want to recover more quickly from an injury, you need to cut back on your physical activity and take it easy while your body recovers.

Whereas the human body does have remarkable healing properties, there are things that can be done to assist the process. These include stretching, laser therapy, and wearing custom orthotics.

Orthotics are valuable tools in the field of podiatry. They can be used for both short and long-term care of certain medical issues. Even better, there are instances where orthotics can help you recover from an injury in less time than you otherwise would and avoid future problems and difficulties.

For example, the most common source of heel pain, by far, is plantar fasciitis. Orthotics can be used to address this particular problem by restricting the motion that caused repetitive pulling on the plantar fascia (a fibrous band of tissue connecting the bottom of the heel to the bottom of the forefoot). This frequently happens from overuse and during intense physical activities.

The right stretches can help to both relieve heel pain and prevent injuries that cause it from developing in the first place. Effective stretching exercises include calf stretches, toe stretches, and eccentric heel drops. Doing these exercises in the morning after waking up or before going to bed will make a big difference in the health of your lower limbs.

Laser therapy is another way to recover faster from foot and ankle injuries, particularly those common ones that happen to soft tissues. In this advanced technique, concentrated beams of light (lasers) are directed towards damaged tissue. The energy from the lasers travels through other layers of tissue until it reaches the point of injury. Once there, it accelerates your cell’s own, natural healing procedures. This is a completely safe and effective way to recover faster from injuries.

Premier Podiatry Group is here for all of your foot and ankle care needs. If you want to recover from your injury in the shortest amount of time, see us as soon as possible. We will create a treatment plan to prevent further damage and ensure proper healing, so contact our Ebensburg, PA office today. Either give us a call at (814) 472-2660 or connect with us through our online form right now.