Ailments and Situations - Muscle and Joint Sprains and Strains - What to Expect

 

What to Expect:

Most strains and sprains heal on their own, especially if you give them proper rest. Ligaments take longer to heal as they are supplied poorly with blood vessels. And, as mentioned above, you risk further damage if you do not take care of your injury.

A regular exercise regime is attributed to good health. It may seem paradoxical then, that the more you exercise, the more prone you are to injuries of the muscles and joints. No one denies this fact. However, muscle and joint injuries are superficial; they heal. Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and the countless other diseases attributed to being sedentary often do not heal. In fact, they can kill. Most studies show that an unfit individual has a risk of heart attack or stroke that is eight times greater than in people who are physically fit. A recent 17,000 person Harvard Alumni Study showed that those who had lifestyles that were considerably more active (using 2,000 to 3,500 Kcal of energy a week -- the equivalent of 5 hours of brisk walking) had 25% to 30% lower mortality rates than people who exercised less. Simply put, although exercise can cause some nagging injuries, it makes you feel good and it makes you live longer. Unfortunately, not enough people are acting upon this message. A recent study showed that amongst Canadians between the ages of 55 and 65, 31% of women and 25% of men are significantly underactive.