Extreme sports injury advice.

Dr, it hurts when I do this!“Well don’t do it then”Was this old saying ever as pertinent as when applied to participants of extreme sports? But they’re fun to take part in and sometimes even more fun to relive later in the pub, especially the hairy moments. Of course a little bit of discomfort following sporting endeavor is quite normal, pop an ice pack over the sore bit for 10 minutes and you’ll be fine. What do you do with the more serious injuries to muscles and joints though and can you prevent them in the first place?I hope it’s obvious that significant cuts, bruises and pain from high speed falls, collisions and wipeouts should be assessed by qualified medical practitioners asap. It should be equally obvious that wearing the right protective kit and paying attention to your instructor’s advice and warnings is an essential part of living to ride, fly or jump another day.My work as a chiropractor brings me into contact with the less life threatening but nevertheless debilitating joint sprains and muscle strains that you might hope will just go away with a hot bath and a couple of Ibuprofen. The reality is that even if the pain goes away the body stores a memory of your injury in the form of a pattern of compensation making muscles and joints work subtly differently. Muscles get shorter and weaker, joints get stiffer, ligaments come under increasing strain until one day, you, the hero of many an extreme sporting moment bends over to stroke the cat and collapses to the floor writhing  from the agony of a prolapsed disc.To avoid this you have to view regular visits to the chiropractor as part of your training regime, helping your muscles and joints to get the full benefit of the exercise you’re doing instead of being at risk of a repetitive strain injury. Great core muscle strength is a very helpful attribute in anyone but especially in those whose sports require balance, strength and stamina. The best practitioners these days are familiar with modern thinking about rehab exercise and should be able to advise you.If you do pick up a knock or a sprain/strain, first apply an ice pack for 10 mins at a time over the painful area, do this up to once an hour during the first 24 hours. Compression bandages over a sprained joint can also help to preserve function and speed return to activity. Don’t wear the bandage for more than 48 hours though or you begin to develop a reliance upon it. Make sure to call your friendly chiropractor and get checked over, you may live to regret it if you don’t.