Nagging aches and minor injuries will show up from time to time, especially when we aren’t being as diligent with body maintenance. A lot of these pains can be prevented by dedicating time each day to mobility, by focusing more on proper form and less on going heavier or faster, by eating and sleeping well… and the list can go on and on. Even if you are doing all of these things, unless you are superhuman perfect, or maybe you just sit on your couch all day, at some point in time little “hurts” will come. Of course we want everyone to do their best with body upkeep to prevent such happenings, but when they do start to show their ugly little heads, there are steps we can take to keep these minor injuries from turning into full on, keep-you-out-of-the-gym injuries.
At least once a day I tell one of our members “You need to ice.” Ice treatment reduces swelling and does wonders for soft tissue injuries. If we can catch those tweaks and aches at first sight, we can nip them at the bud with ice therapy. The Dixie Cup message is a real stroke of genius. Here it is in a few simple steps: Fill a small paper cup about ¾ full with water and place it in the freezer. Once the cup is completely frozen, tear the top half of the paper off, leaving the bottom portion for easy grasping and maneuvering. Now simply hold on to the paper end and gently massage the area experiencing said pain. Do this only for about ten minutes at a time, prolonged icing can make things worse, or give you frostbite. Repeat 3-5 times a day, letting the area come back to normal body temperature in between sessions. The Dixie cup technique works really well for things like shin splints, elbow pain, and plantar fasciitis.
Ice and be well!
