It’s never happened in the history of fitness and sports but if it did I wish it were to me.

I’ve never known an active person who doesn’t periodically have a minor muscle strain or ligament strain. Its just part of the job description. And, if there’s never a small tweak here and there then the effort put forth to achieve top performance fitness is probably not happening.

You know what these minor tweaks are like.

It’s that little twinge of pain that’s not enough to make you not train. But, enough to make you wonder if should.

It usually goes like this.

You get up in the morning and the muscle is a little tight and sore, but after a few minutes of movement it disappears. And, often, certain movements create the pain.

The usual fix with such minor ailments is to, first, do nothing until it gets progressively worse. Then, some form of self-care, such as OTC anti-inflammatories, is tried that usually isn’t affective. Next, as a last resort, professional care is sought. And, the care most often hoped for is to continue to train at the normal level and the pain and stiffness goes away on its own or with the help of medicine or therapy.

Sounds great, I’d like that to. But, this is one you can’t outrun. Appropriate care is required.

So, here are some simple things to do at home first to help resolve the condition the first time. And, if they don’t work than a professional consultation should be sought:

1. Don’t expect these small, malingering conditions to magically go away over night. It takes dedication and patience. its not uncommon to spend several weeks resolving persistent conditions that have been disregarded as “minor” so grow into more stubborn conditions.
2. Take oral Arnica homeopathic tablets a couple of times a day and rub arnica cream into the area twice daily both above and below and directly on the affected area. These products are available at most natural food stores.
3. With your index finger strum the tissue above and below the injured area with moderate pressure to break up thickening tissue in the area. This will also passively elongate the tissue to increase range of motion in the area.
4. Take five (5) Perfect Amino tablets in the morning and after training so the body gets the nutrients it needs to repair and remodel so its normal tone and integrity is restored.
5. Use the “Stick” (intracell.net) on the affect part twice daily for 5-minutes to reduce trigger points, lower tension, and promote cell nutrient and waste exchange.
6. Do non-weight bearing cardio, such as cycling or pool training, daily at moderate, pain-free intensity to promote circulation and proprioception.
7. Train at pain-free levels only.
8. Don’t test the injury to check the progress of it’s recovery too early as can exacerbate the problem, thus, delaying its recovery.

If after two weeks there’s no noticeable improvement then seek professional care.

Whether you do self-care or under professional direction a key component to recover from these persistent, low-grade conditions is make sure that once the tissue has healed that ideal movement mechanics are restored, otherwise, the problem will return.

The key with small conditions is to deal with them correctly the first time as aggressively as possible so they don’t become habitual.