How To Heal Injuries More Quickly

It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!

Have a question or a request? We love to hear from you!

In cases where we’ve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future too—there’s always more to say!

As ever: if the question/request can be answered briefly, we’ll do it here in our Q&A Thursday edition. If not, we’ll make a main feature of it shortly afterwards!

So, no question/request too big or small 😎

❝I find I don’t heal as quickly as I used to, I’m sure it’s “just aging”, but is there anything that can be done about it? Thank you❞

The short answer: yes 🙂

The nuanced answer: it depends on what you’re healing; some things call for slightly different strategies, but there is a lot of overlap too.

So, let’s look into that…

Skin deep?

If what you’re healing is primarily skin, then there are several considerations:

1. Avoid infection, which would do the opposite of help. To this end, a simple antiseptic cream is an excellent choice, especially if you get one that’s moisturizing too, like this one.
2. Put away that hydrocortisone. While it may promise relief from itching and redness, its steroidal anti-inflammatory effects reduce immune response (making infection easier) and slow down healing. Simply, hydrocortisone really is not good for broken skin.
3. Look after your skin health from the inside. Here we’re talking especially good hydration, vitamin C, vitamin E, and zinc.
4. Consider the restorative oil options we talked about here: Beyond Castor: Vegetable Oils That Regenerate Your Skin
5. Protect your skin from the sun. When your skin is healing, what it doesn’t need more of is radiation damage from exposure to the untamed fury of an ongoing nuclear reaction so massive that it’s hundreds of thousands of times the size of the Earth, and the only reason it’s not exploding to consume us entirely in nuclear fire is that it’s physically held back by the weight of its own incredible mass. That’s a dramatic way of putting it, yes, but it’s good sometimes to remember what things really are! All this to say… Wear a hat?
6. Consider some “secret weapon” plant-based fixer-uppers, for example bromelain and/or mimosa, both of which accelerate wound healing (details on the pages we linked, those are previous main features of ours)
7. You might also consider red light therapy, which has proven benefits for superficial wound healing; see: Casting Yourself In A Healthier Light

If your skin wound is technically healed already, but has scars you’d like to minimize, then check out: Scars? How To Minimize & Heal Them

Down to the bone

If, however, it’s something else like a musculoskeletal injury, including things like broken bones, torn ligaments, tendonitis, or cartilage damage, then most of those things aren’t so relevant.

The bromelain can still help, though, albeit this time less through its skin-healing properties and more due to its potent (and unique) anti-inflammatory effect!

However, for most of these things, targetted healing methods are needed.

The bones will heal themselves, of course, assuming they have been set correctly and immobilized if necessary, and assuming your bone health is otherwise good. Consider for example: 21% Stronger Bones in a Year at 62? Yes, It’s Possible (No Calcium Supplements Needed!)

Sprained joints, torn ligaments, pulled muscles, and anything else of that nature, please consult a physio, and follow their advice to the letter. But important will be sleep, non-sleep rest, and gentle movement (within your physio’s guidelines). See also: When Bad Joints Stop You From Exercising (5 Things To Change)

Cartilage damage is subject to a popular myth, that it simply cannot be regrown. It can, you just have to do it in a very specific way: How To Rebuild Your Cartilage

For everything from skin to bones, check out: Collagen For Your Skin, Joints, & Bones: We Are Such Stuff As Fish Are Made Of

Want to learn more?

For simple post-workout things, do consider: Overdone It? How To Speed Up Recovery After A Workout (According To Actual Science)

And for treating your own back, your own own hip, your own knee, and so forth, you might want to try the highly recommendable:

“Treat Your Own…” series of books by Robin McKenzie ← he’s a physiotherapist and not a doctor, but with 40 years of practice to his name and 33 letters after his name (CNZM OBE FCSP (Hon) FNZSP (Hon) Dip MDT Dip MT), he seems to know his stuff. His work is very well-respected, and almost any English-speaking physiotherapist will have read his books.

Take care!