Injured? What to Do in the First Few Days to Support Your Recovery

If you have recently had an injury, a fall, pulled a muscle, twisted wrong or have been knocked, it is natural to feel all the reactions:

“How am I going to get to work tomorrow?”

“Now I can’t do x,y,z”

“That means….

“Damn this really hurts, do I need to go to A&E?”

In extreme cases of injury

If you are struggling to bear weight, have the type of bruising that is getting black and purple second by second and your limb is getting bigger and bigger by the second…

...then yes, these are the signs to head straight to the doctors or A&E for a scan. You need to check that something is not broken, whether it is a soft tissue or bone.

This type of case is the extreme end of the spectrum, most injuries are not quick to bruise to black and purple and do not swell to incredible levels in minutes. 

For all the other lesser injuries it is important to know

In most injuries, the pain that comes on quickly and sharply is the response of nerves in the area that respond to extreme stretching and tearing movements of tissues that have gone past their normal tolerances. This does not mean they have fully torn. They have just been overstretched and overwhelmed. Normally this type of pain reduces in a matter of minutes.

An inside tip is that breathing gently and if possible deeply in these moments trying to relax just fractionally on the out-breath - can really release the shock that comes into your body in these moments. 

Pain can come on suddenly. We can worry about what has happened, how serious it might be and how long it will take to recover.

The good news is that the human body is remarkably good at healing itself. But how you respond in the early days can make a real difference to how well and how quickly that healing happens. 

The key is always to listen to your body and respect its needs and limits. Being empowered means you also know what works and how you can optimise your healing time. This guide shares some simple, evidence-based steps to support your recovery after an acute injury. 

But please remember that every person and every injury is different. What works for one person might not be right for another. Always listen to your body. Go gently and seek medical advice if you are unsure.

Understanding What is Happening in Your Body

After the initial sharp pain in the seconds to minutes of the injury event it is normal that the pain will change towards deeper burning, aching and a feeling of tightness. 

This is all normal. 

Pain and swelling are your body’s way of protecting you. They are not signs that something is getting worse. They are part of your body’s natural response to the injury. When tissues are damaged, your body sends in fluid and immune cells to clean up, protect the area and begin the healing and rebuilding processes. 

That is inflammation. it is not something we always need to ‘calm down’ or get rid of straight away.

It is common to want to reduce swelling or numb pain quickly. The inflammation you experience however is not your enemy. In most cases, it is doing exactly what it is meant to do. That is why reaching straight for anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen might not be helpful in the very early stages, unless advised by your doctor.

Running away from how you are feeling is not a great plan - we all get injured from time to time and that is normal. 

What we want to avoid is moving into long-term chronic pain. 

How we manage an injury can totally avoid chronic pain in the future. 

So the key to it is to manage pain levels in a balanced way so they do not get too high and rest appropriately before then building strength back into your body - but more about that in the next blog. 

What to Do in the First 24–72 Hours

In those first few days, your main goals are to protect the injured area and avoid doing anything that might make things worse. Remember you want to give your body the opportunity to heal - and offer it space and time.

You might find the following helpful:

• Rest the injured area, but try not to stop moving altogether. This is important. Research shows that very gentle movement helps an area heal more effectively. This might be 1-10% of what you would normally be able to do, only in extreme situations would you actually go to bed. You can still move other parts of your body, and gentle movement can help your overall recovery.

• Apply ice. Ice is an alternative way to manage pain gently without limiting inflammation too much. Remember that it is your body healing. Apply ice for no more than 10 minutes at a time and give it at least an hour between applications.

Make sure your ice is wrapped in some fabric and not directly applied to your skin.

• Elevate the area if there is swelling. For example, resting your ankle up on a pillow if you are sitting down. This is really important especially to get a good nights sleep after an injury. Remember sleep is worth 100 recovery points. It is the best medicine.

• Be cautious about compression unless advised. Not all injuries respond well to wrapping or bracing.

  
  

  

  
  

Things to Be Careful With

Avoid pushing through pain or returning to normal activity too soon. Just because you can walk or lift something does not mean it is the right time to do so. This is about not forcing your body against increasing pain levels.

We live in a productive world. Please respect what you need in these moments. If less is more that is totally ok. 

An anthropologist when asked what the first sign of civilisation was she responded “a healed thigh bone”.

Caring for ourselves and others is something that shows the best of being human and is totally 100% needed. When we ignore ourselves, eventually we will ignore others' pain too. Do not endorse that world.

Try not to immobilise the area completely unless medically necessary. Too much rest can sometimes delay recovery.

Do not rush to take anti-inflammatory medication. It can sometimes interfere with the healing process in the first 48–72 hours. There are other non anti-inflammatory painkillers out there. It is important to talk to your doctor and feel more empowered.

When to Seek Help

Most soft tissue injuries will start to improve within a few days. But there are times when it is important to get checked out.

You should seek medical advice if:

• Your pain is constant and does not ease with rest.

• The area becomes very red, hot or swollen

• You experience numbness, tingling or total loss of function in the area.

• You have bladder or bowel changes after a back or pelvic injury.

Please, please do not be embarrassed. These are key red flags and you need to go to Accident and Emergency immediately.

• You are unable to bear any weight at all or feel dizzy and faint and sick. 

  
  

All these signs need medical attention and the quickest safest way is to head to A&E. 

You might be there a while and it may be inconvenient, but they are the signs that I, as a therapist, would not be able to treat. You need medical attention in these situations.

If you are not experiencing any of the above, then remember… 

Everyone Heals at Their Own Pace

There is no one-size-fits-all timeline for recovery. Some people bounce back quickly. Others take longer and that is completely normal. Your age, general health, sleep, stress levels, and even your mindset can all influence how your body heals.

Your environment and access to resources, love and care are also big indicators of how things go. 

Your knowledge of how to respond is an amazing factor in your recovery and totally within your power. 

Just remember it is ok and necessary to ask for help. You deserve it whether you are normally the person to offer it or not. Everyone needs to be held and cared for sometimes. 

Most of all it can be hard to be patient with yourself, especially if you are someone who is active or has responsibilities to juggle. But being kind to yourself in this early stage, not rushing, not forcing, can help you feel stronger in the long run.

Keep Checking In With Yourself

In the coming days, you will likely notice changes. Some improvements, maybe some soreness in new places as you start to move differently. Keep listening to your body. 

Pain that fades after activity is usually fine. Pain that builds during or after movement is a signal to ease off and reassess. 

Pain that gets sharper and sharper on movement is a clear sign you are pushing too far and too fast. This is not the way to go. Please listen to your body. 

We will talk more about returning to movement and building strength in the next blog. But for now, your job is to let your body do what it is designed to do and that is heal.

Your body is programmed to heal. It knows what it needs. Your biggest job in the first three days is to listen and breathe. 

It will be ok, you will move out of these feelings. The best thing you can do is offer your body nourishing support and at the same time notice your minds negative spirals. 

Meditation and breathwork are amazing tools to relax the mind out of these patterns. 

This is amazing work to do when you’re in pain and need to listen to your body and not lean into the panic of your mind. 

Take it one day at a time. You have got this.

If you need help and reassurance, please reach out. That is my job to help reassure and guide you through this process. 

Carmen Makepeace