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When you work out regularly, your primary intention is to feel better as a result, not worse. And yet, as much as we can work to prevent a sports injury, sometimes it’s not possible. You can – and should – certainly minimise the risk, but sometimes luck can desert you and you’re left dealing with an injury. If you do find yourself in this situation, it’s worth remembering that even the best come a cropper sometimes, so don’t lose hope.

Assuming you’ve hurt yourself in a way you can’t simply ignore or isolate, there may be some time spent on the sidelines in your future. So, to both keep that time to a minimum and ensure that it is productive, let’s have a look at the ways you can ensure you bounce back from an injury as good as new!

Eat for recovery, not for refuelling

Anyone who’s spent enough time in a gym knows that you’ll get out of your body what you put into it, and eating the right food is every bit as important as what you do in the gym. When you find yourself rehabbing an injury, though, it’s worth making a few subtle changes to your diet to encourage bodily recovery.

Naturally, water is essential, so keep hydration to an optimum level, but it’s equally important to make sure you’re getting plenty of calcium to support tissue regrowth. About 1200mg is ideal, and the best sources are cheese and yoghurt, or salmon and leafy greens if you’re dairy-free. Supplement this diet with Vitamin D to aid the absorption of calcium, and sprinkle turmeric into a few meals, as its anti-inflammatory properties are legendary.

Be careful with medication

Many people with an injury make the mistake of trying to work through the pain, a decision which is all-too-often made with the assistance of strong painkillers. This is not an advisable step to take. Stronger painkillers are highly addictive, and addiction is a bigger curse than injury. You can find out more here about your options if you’ve reached a point of dependency on medication, but in case you’re thinking about the future, know this: Painkillers will only mask the pain – they won’t heal the injury, and you’ll need rest to do that, not more exercise.

Listen to the professionals

The impulse to distrust professionals is one we all need to suppress from time to time, because often they are telling us what we need to hear rather than what we want. However, if a doctor tells you that your recovery time will be a couple of months, then that’s what it will be. Chances are that your primary doctor will also refer you for physiotherapy. Your physio, in turn, will likely give you rehab exercises to do, and you’re going to need to do them in order to get back in the gym. Sure, you’d rather be lifting, and that’s understandable, but you’re going to need to walk before you can run – metaphorically speaking.

Being laid low by injury is never a fun experience. By committing to your recovery and doing the right things, you can ensure that you’re back in the gym sooner, and feeling fitter.