Soft tisue injuries

I'm learning a lot about injuries, the hard way... Yeap, I fell again. I didn't skate last Monday as kids were out of school and on those days it gets too crowded. So I skated Tuesday, and it was almost empty sessions and I got excited and I went for it, rushed the damn 3-turns pattern for Pre-Juvenile MITF test and fell on an forward inside 3-turn, not even a backward one! I don't skate on Saturday and Sunday and I always feel the need to take it easy on Monday, to work on basics (edges, posture, pleasure into ice and just then increase the speed). I'm so angry at myself for not doing this on Tuesday, after 3 consecutive days of not skating.

It is always emphasized by coaches that you have to learn how to fall. And I was always complimented that I fall "properly". Well, not anymore, but only on the left side, the side I hurt last year! I fall nice and easy on the healthy side, I instinctively bend the knees to lower and roll on my side as I fall. And on the bad side I tense up and fall like a log!

It was in March of the last year when I strain the tendon connecting the abductor muscle to the hip for a tiny but a little twisted fall. It was hurting only in a certain spot, on certain positions and only on ice... So I haven't taken it seriously. Bad idea, because that caused the muscles around the hip to compensate and get strained themselves. I was feeling better in few long months. Then I fell heavily in the summer, then in the fall, in December and now. All these falls were not strains, just muscle (glutes) bruises and maybe bone bruise. And each fall took less time to stop bothering me.

So, what I've learn!

Soft tissue injuries are:
- sprains: stretching or tearing of a ligament
- strains: stretching or tearing of a tendon or muscle
- bruising (contusion): the crush of underlying muscle fibers and connective tissue from a fall or hard contact
- tendonitis: inflammation of the tendons from overuse

For the mild injuries the symptoms are paint, inflammation with or without swelling, weakness of the muscle. More serious injuries have to be seen by a doctor.

The treatment starts with REST! If there is pain and inflammations, surely there is muscle weakness to, and you have to rest for 24,48 hours. Also apply ICE to reduce the inflammation and anti inflammatory medication (ibuprofen, arnica cream on the spot)... There is the famous advice to RICE (Rest, Ice, Compress and Elevate).  As the pain and inflammation subsides, it is safe to go back to light activity. But the hurt area needs to be PROTECTED from immediate re injury (padding and safe activities) and STRENGTHEN (with specific exercises, maybe physical therapy)as it was weekend by the injury. I've also learned that you shouldn't initially roll or massage a bruised muscle. You have to let the muscle fiber connections restore.

I'll add to these soft tissue injuries muscle soreness after working out. There is pain and inflammation, right? So I feel the muscle don't function optimally and we should take it easier until they heal. I had sore muscles for months... It ended up that I had knots in my IT band. Those need to be massaged out. Also helping with muscle soreness is hydration, warming up prior and stretching after the work out and rolling.

I'm a pro now, right? After the last Tuesday fall I rested, iced, I didn't skate and rested some more (luckily there was lot's of skating on TV to watch), did glutes exercises and then skated twice very lightly. Then I rested again as the rink closed for the big Midwest polar vortex freeze... I'll see when I'll go back to regular activity for sure, but for now I feel great and I think this is the right way to approach injuries. I may be back to regular activity after 10 days instead of struggling for months.