You’re injured. Firstly, Don’t panic. Secondly, here’s the simplest recovery plan: RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation). It won’t fix you, but it will compliment long term recovery. It’s basic, costs you nothing, and above all it helps.
Step 1: R-I-C-E
Not rice.
R.I.C.E:
Rest
Ice
Compression
Elevation
An ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure
R-I-C-E falls into the ounce of prevention category. Nothing here will magically fix you, but will greatly help recovery. If you’re hurting at all during/after a workout start here.
Rest
Simple, right? Take time off. A good rule of thumb: wait until pain subsides, then wait another day or two. Test out your body and re-assess.
I was at a lecture given by Mike Boyle and Dan John. The room was full of strength coaches, trainers, generally big dudes, bald heads, fu manchu mustaches, testosterone, and me. I felt like I was undercover. Here’s Mike Boyle on the topic of runners.
‘A runner,’ Mike began, ‘is someone who slams their hand in a door and hurts it. Reluctantly they stop what they are doing (running) and rehab their hand. They care for it. Love it. Nurture it. And as soon as it is feeling somewhat better they take it right back out and slam it in the door.’ Lots of laughs from the strength crowd.
Ahh, silly runners… so fragile, so dumb. Cold blooded. But accurate.
My Sister once hurt her foot on mile 3 of a 14 miler. She finished the run (and did some real damage to her foot). Why? Runners don’t like to rest unless it’s scheduled in our training program.
And she’s an idiot. Kidding.
Be smart. Don’t be a runner. Nothing you’ll do in one or two workouts can significantly change the next two months of working out. Nothing. Your fitness, by and large, is the sum product of months of work. However, there are things you can do in ONE workout that will SIGNIFICANTLY DAMAGE the next 6 MONTHS of workouts. So if you’re feeling run down, rest.
BTW- I can make fun of runners bc I am one. So there.
Ice
Hold off on the ice packs. Prevailing wisdom once advocated for extensive use of ice. That wisdom has since changed due to new research. To repeat, do not pack an ice bag on a newly injured body part. Well, if the i in RICE is now contraindicated we’re looking at RCE. Not so fast- Try a cold plunge instead.
Research has shown great benefits from cold plunging. They positively effect mood, recovery and reduce inflammation post workout (I even have one at Fit).
Compression
Throw on some compression socks or wrap up your injury in voodoo floss. This stimulates circulation and will help with swelling and dispersal of lactic acid and cellular waste.
Quick side note
Have compression socks become the new ‘race medals’? I swear that people wear them, in large part, to be noticed. If a runner walks into a room wearing compression socks someone is obliged to notice and ask how the run went. I’m not hating, I’m just putting it out there. Some of you are wearing those socks to recover, and some are baiting people to ask them how the race went so you can humble brag.
Rant over- back to compression
People respond differently to compression socks. On one hand some wear them during the race or long run but feel no benefit wearing them post workout. On the other hand some wear them post workout, or to bed after a tough race/workout to improve recovery. I fall into the post workout camp.
Training for a race? Try wearing them at different times during your training (during/immediately after/overnight) and seeing which protocol produces the best results for you.
Another compression related device that is gaining some traction is Normatec sleeves. Remember Hammer pants? Just fill them with air and program them to massage your legs for :10-:20 minutes. That’s Normatec. Or as their website states: ‘we use compressed air to massage your limbs’. They’re great. They’ll get rid of your dead legs.
You ever buy someone a present because you actually want it. That’s what I did when my wife was 5 months pregnant. Her legs were swollen and uncomfortable, and I really wanted an excuse to spend $600 on a pair of normatecs. ‘Here Babe, I got these just for you.’ Long story short she loved the boots, I was husband of the year and now I use them at work. Boom- Everybody wins!
Elevation
Runner’s legs are the sight of most injuries. Gravity causes blood to pool in our legs. We need to re-oxygenate that blood and flush it of toxins like lactic acid. Lift your legs above your heart and let gravity flush out your legs. How to do this:
Lie on your side next to a wall. Swing your legs up. Scoot your butt in to touch the wall. Voila! Hamstring stretch/and elevation at the same time. This is a great place to sit and think post workout.
Or you can stack something under the foot end of your bed. I used to say place a dictionary or a phone book under the bed posts but when’s the last time you saw a phone book. Or a dictionary.
Last Thoughts
R.I.C.E, all in all, is not sexy, but don’t overlook it just because it’s basic, perfunctory, and boring.