When a person is injured, the doctor in charge of his or her recovery often assigns an exercise program to help the patient recover from the injury. It’s good therapy because exercise increases the endorphins in the brain and blood flow to the injured area. This helps to alleviate the feelings of pain and to promote healing at the site of the injury.
Additionally, some exercises also help strengthen the muscles around an injury, making the injured spot stronger and less susceptible to future injuries. If you’ve recently experienced an injury or if you deal with on-going chronic pain, these four exercises can help you manage the pain and possibly help you recover from your injuries.
1. Yoga
Yoga can help you heal by bringing more oxygen to your system. Additionally, yoga provides you with low impact exercises that increase strength and balance. It’s also a good exercise to do if your body’s core needs strengthening. People who have problems with inflammatory illnesses like arthritis, as well as those who have injuries to the lower back or to the legs, may find significant relief by doing yoga a couple of times a week.
If you are physically unable to do some of the poses because of your injury, seek out other types of yoga for people with injuries. Just because your body is damaged doesn’t mean you can’t find a type of yoga that fits your capabilities.
2. Swimming
Swimming provides the body with a good whole-body workout. It increases the strength of the heart and lungs and helps bring agility to the joints. It’s also a great exercise for those who need to keep the pressure off an injured body part like a foot or a knee. The buoyancy of the water keeps the injured person afloat, while the water itself provides resistance to muscles that need working.
If you’re recovering from a lower body injury, swimming can help you. Think about signing up for group classes or if you need a little extra help and attention, look up an organization like SwimJim, which also provides semi-private and private swimming lessons for adults.
3. Leg Raises and Other Exercises
If you have an injury to your knee, you’ll want to do exercises that help to strengthen the knee. Healthline recommends that people with knee problems do exercises like leg raises, hamstring stretches, and half-squats. These exercises are often used by those who experience arthritis in the knee, making them good, all-around exercises for people with a variety of knee ailments.
4. Walking
Walking counts as a favorite rehabilitative exercise due to its ease of execution and its low-impact nature. Walking is also deceptively complex. It provides a workout not only for the legs, lungs, and heart, but the body’s core and back get a workout, too, due to the way the body moves while walking.
Additionally, studies show that walking is the perfect exercise. Those who walk will likely find that in addition to improving their physical health, their emotional and spiritual health increase as well. If you’re recovering from a long illness, a walk in the woods or along the country lane by your home may be just what the doctor ordered.
Exercising after an injury or a prolonged illness that causes pain can help bring relief to achy joints and sore muscles. There are many exercises that help a person recover from injury, ranging from swimming to yoga. Exercising increases blood flow to the injured area and can increase the mental and spiritual well-being of the person as well. If you’re experiencing pain due to injury or illness, a short bout of exercise may be just the elixir you need to recover. You’ll find that your strength will be returned to you in no time.