Injuries and Menopause - leveling up midlife

Injuries can happen quickly and unexpectedly. The best way to avoid being forced to sit on the bench during the “game of life” is to prevent injury from the beginning. The most common injuries are sprains and strains, often occurring at the ankle, knee, and wrist. If not allowed to heal properly, these can become nagging long-term issues. The best way to heal an injury is to prevent it from occurring in the first place.

Before we get into specifics on prevention, let’s chat more about the injuries you can get.

Injury and Menopause
Injury
acute
chronic
prevention
relief
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Injury Classifications

When assessing an injury, there are two main classifications, acute and chronic injuries, which may determine which treatment is needed for recovery.

Acute Injuries

Acute injuries are recent injuries and can be traumatic in nature, and you may have heard a pop at the time of the injury. You may experience a sudden and severe onset of pain. There may be bleeding, discoloration, or bruising. The injury site may increase in size due to swelling, be tender to the touch, or weaker. You may be unable to place weight on the limb or complete a full range of motion. Some acute injuries include ankle sprain, pulled muscle, RTC tear, fracture, and dislocation.

Chronic Injuries

Chronic injuries usually occur over a more extended period and are a result of a non-healing acute injury, incorrect posture, poor equipment use, or repetitive actions. These injuries may have symptoms similar to acute injuries, such as swelling, discolorization, pain with motion, and inability to complete a full range of motion. Some examples of chronic pain are Low back pain, knee pain, finger joint pain, and stress fractures.

What Do We Do if We Get an Injury?

Acute Injury Protocol (P.R.I.C.E.)

If you have an acute injury, you need to pay the price!

P: Protect the injured site from any further harm. Depending on the level of injury, you might need to use a splint, brace, or sling to immobilize and support the injured area. This prevents further injury and allows the initial healing process to begin. Accidentally putting weight on an injured ankle out of habit can only cause more damage to tissues that are already compromised.

R: Rest for a minimum of 48 hours. Like in the example above, resting helps reduce inflammation and pain and reduces the risk of further injury, allowing the healing process to progress more effectively.

I: Ice the injury for 20 minutes at a time, 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off. Ice is a vasoconstrictor, so it reduces blood flow to the area, resulting in less swelling. Increased swelling causes discomfort and pain, so if you can keep the swelling down, kudos to you!

However, leaving ice on for an extended period will act as a vasodilator, increasing blood flow to the area and causing swelling and discomfort.

C: Compression is applying pressure to the injured area to help further reduce swelling and support the injury. An example would be wrapping the injured site with an ACE wrap or compression sock to reduce swelling. Note the wrap should be snug but not too tight, as we don’t want to impede blood flow to injury.

E: Elevation above heart level helps reduce swelling by promoting fluid drainage away from injury. For example, if you have a sprained ankle, you should elevate it on a chair or prop it up on pillows as much as possible, especially in the first 24-48 hours after the injury.

In Addition to P.R.I.C.E., You Can:

Take NSAIDs (Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication) such as Ibuprofen or Aleve to reduce pain and swelling.
Use an Estim/TENS unit, which uses small pads that emit electrical current superficially to reduce swelling and pain.
Use Kinesio Tape for proprioceptive feedback, slight stability, and pain and swelling reduction.

Chronic Injury Protocol

Due to the nagging nature of chronic injuries and the potential for fractures, we recommend seeing your doctor or consulting with a physical therapist in your area.

For things you can try at home to relieve pain both temporarily and long term:

Immediate Relief:

Estim/TENS
Acupuncture
Massage
Cryotherapy, Dry needling
Ultrasound
Traction
Taping

Long-term Relief and Future Prevention:

Mobility and Flexibility
Strength training
Cardiovascular exercise
Diet
Hydration
Education on proper lifting techniques
Proper education
Stress management

What About Prevention?

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For protection against injuries, the best route is an assessment. Follow some of the following suggestions, and your chance of injury will decrease dramatically:

Injury Prevention Measures and Why They Are Important

Warm up for 5-10 minutes before exercises with dynamic stretches to increase tissue flexibility and recovery.
Incorporate all areas of preventative health: Cardiovascular training, Strength training, Flexibility, and Mobility.
Vary workouts. Alternating muscle groups every few weeks can reduce fatigue and overtraining, which increases injury risk.
Cool down properly for 5-10 minutes post-exercise with static stretches to improve tissue recovery.
Wear proper footwear, preferably shoes with a large toe box to allow room for your feet to move without pinching.
Use proper lifting techniques.
Stay hydrated. Dehydration can cause heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and overall fatigue.
Allow for adequate rest between exercise sets
Sleep well (7-8 hours each night is recommended.)
Use a full range of motion throughout exercises. Not using a full range of motion can lead to muscle imbalances, which can impede future movement patterns. For more on muscle imbalances, see my post on Dynamic Stretching here.
Eat a healthy diet with enough macro and micronutrients to stay strong.

Conclusion:

When faced with an injury, our whole world can stop. However, with some careful and thought-out steps, it is possible to lower the risk of injury. Life and accidents happen. When faced with a new or existing chronic injury, knowing how to care for it and allow time to heal can set you up for a faster and less painful recovery.

References:

Read our post on Dynamic Stretching and Menopause and download our FREE Dynamic Stretching Guide with stretching video walkthroughs written by a DPT