Sports Injuries
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Sports Injury Remedies

| Modified on May 31, 2024
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Three Herb Tea.

While organized physical activity is a positive component of a healthy lifestyle, sports and other forms of exercise create the potential for sports-related injuries. Not warming up appropriately, poor training techniques, and even accidents can lead to a wide range of common injuries.

Natural treatments, however, can often safely relieve pain and reduce inflammation that an injury may cause.

What are Sports Injuries?

Sports injuries are common and include such conditions as sprains and strains, knee injuries, swollen muscles, injuries to the Achilles tendon, shin splints, rotator cuff injuries, fractures, and dislocations. A sports injury is often the result of overuse, improper training practices, inappropriate gear worn, or accidents during physical activity.

Natural Remedies for Muscle Strain and Other Exercise Injuries

One of the first treatment practices that you should apply in a sports injury involves the acronym RICE – rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Following the initial treatment, other options can be used, including natural treatment gels and soaks to relieve pain and prevent soreness. Arnica gel, Epsom salts, and vinegar are among the most effective treatment options.

Arnica Gel

Arnica gel is derived from the herb arnica and is used to treat a variety of health conditions. The compound contains powerful anti-inflammatory properties that promote healing and reduce pain. The gel relieves muscle soreness and can even treat sprain-related pain.

Epsom Salts

Epsom salt is a naturally occurring mineral compound that contains vital nutrients, including magnesium and sulfate. Combining these and other minerals in the salt regulate the body’s metabolic processes, reduce inflammation and restore muscle and nerve function. An Epsom salt bath also flushes the system of toxins, relieving pain in this way as well.

Vinegar

You can use vinegar in various ways – as a soak, tonic, or even rub – to relieve soreness and pain related to sports. Vinegar functions to pull toxins, including built-up lactic acid, from the body to reduce inflammation and soreness. Vinegar also contains active vitamins and minerals that restore the body’s ability to rebuild muscle and nerve tissue.

Continue reading below for more tips from Earth Clinic readers! Let us know what helped you.

The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
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3 Herb Formula

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Posted by Hayes (GA) on 05/09/2020
 ★★★★★

Editor's Choice

Three Herbs to use to quickly heal injuries.

1. Horsetail
2. Nettle
3. Oatstraw

I buy bulk 1LB bags of each.

Take 1/2 cup of each herb and mix together in a harbor bowl. Then use the whole mixture to make either hot tea with 1/2 gallon of water or a cold infusion with 1/2 gallon of water.

For the tea, pour 1/2 gallon water in large pot, pour the whole mixture of herbs into the water and bring to boil, turn off heat and let steep for 1-2 hours with the lid on the pot. Strain off tea into 1/2 gallon jar. For cold infusion, I use a stainless steel mesh infuser that fits into a 1/2 gallon mason jar.

I drink the tea constantly throughout the day until the injury is healed. This is by far the most effective remedy I have found for healing physical injuries. Nothing else comes close.

God bless and hope this helps. Feel to comment.

Replied by tony
(london)
05/31/2024

Hi,

How much tea do you drink per day, like how many doses and how much tea per dose?

Usually in how many days/weeks does an injury heal with this protocol?

Thank you

Apple Cider Vinegar

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Posted by Katzie (Calgary) on 04/26/2016
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Editor's Choice

My 15 yr old son came home from school limping one day. He told me he'd gotten a sore (pulled) muscle while running Track & Field. He was extremely sore on his lower right abdomen. Like a smart mom, I came to this site looking for suggestions! I then soaked a square gauze pad (paper towels would do) with organic Apple Cider Vinegar w/the "mother", and placed that over the sore area for 1/2 hr and had him stay still. After the time was up, my son said 90% of the pain was gone. Amazing remedy. Thank you, Earth Clinic!

Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee, Usa) on 06/20/2015
 ★★★★★

My teenage son was using a hoe in the garden and hit his ankle quite hard. He kept working anyway but by evening the area that he had hit was swollen and was still hurting him.

At bedtime I took a couple of paper towels and poured raw apple cider vinegar onto them. (Not dripping wet, just saturated.) I placed this on and around the swollen area. I wrapped that with plastic wrap and covered the whole thing with a sock.

In the morning he removed the poultice when he woke up and the swelling and pain were almost completely gone! He worked most of the day helping a friend to shear sheep and didn't have any trouble or any more swelling.

~Mama to Many~

Arnica Gel

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Posted by Lindsey (Waukesha, WI) on 02/23/2009
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I swear by using Arnica Gel for sports injuries. My son had a 3rd degree sprain on his ankle during a basketball game. He was told that he would be out for the rest of the season. He wore a walking boot during the day and iced his ankle 5 times a day and after each time he would smear Arnica gel all over. He was so swollen for 2 weeks for almost 3 weeks. At his next visit to get rechecked which was 2 weeks and 3 days. He was completely healed. The doctor was amazed. He said that he could go back to playing as long as he felt O.K. He hasn't had any problems since. My husband had one of his basketball players use it when he hurt his back in practice. The kid was skeptical but came back the next day and wanted to know where he got it because it worked.

Replied by John
(Boise, Id, Usa)
08/11/2010
★★★★★

My daughter sprained her ankle and she can barely walk. I massaged the ankle with some left-over arnica tincture that I made sometime ago. I wrapped it with an old towel before going to bed. She was healed after 2 days.

Replied by Lakisha
(Texas)
10/11/2015

Where is the best place to buy Arnica Oil or gel? My son injured his ankle 2 weeks ago, will it still work?

Replied by Mmsg
(Somewhere, Europe)
10/12/2015

Lakisha, you can also try a castor oil pack.

Replied by Mama To Many
(Tennessee)
10/12/2015

Dear Lakisha,

I think Arnica tends to work better when used at the time of the injury.

I agree with Mmsg that Castor Oil would be a good option at this point. Apple Cider Vinegar Wraps are also an option. (For either treatment you would soak cloth with vinegar or castor oil, wrap foot, cover with plastic wrap and then a sock and leave it on over night.) Can be done during the day, too, of course, but may be harder to keep something attached, depending on how active he is.

~Mama to Many~

Arnica Gel, Epsom Salt, Ice

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Posted by Deirdre (Los Angeles) on 03/13/2006
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I use arnica gel to help in recovering from sore muscles from rigorous martial arts workouts. I also supplement with potassium once in a while. However, I've noticed that potassium lowers my already low blood pressure so I need to be careful with that one! Soaking in Epsom Salts is another technique I use from time to time. I cannot stress the importance of ice packs on an injury! They bring swelling down quickly.

Baking Soda

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Posted by Gigi (Denver, CO, USA) on 10/02/2014
 ★★★★★

I've been suffering from RSI for about 3 weeks and was giving up as much as possible typing on the computer. I've also had a foot issue with different sensation occurring for 8 weeks. So far x-rays and MRIs haven't revealed anything leaving my doc to think perhaps arthritis. I read several posts about alkalizing the body on Earth Clinic by drinking baking soda with water. Began drinking the concoction yesterday and the pain literally began diminishing after 3-4 hours on a scale from 1 - 10, being about a 7 to about a 2. It sounds incredibly unbelievable and had I not personally felt the difference, would have NEVER believed it. I hope this works for others and hope it continues on this end. Earth Clinic is the best resource I've found - thank you & blessings to all those who share their insight and experience.

Coccyx

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Posted by anonymous (usa) on 09/06/2011
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My daughter broke her tailbone while dancing. I took her to a physical therapist at Ability Rehabilitation in Orlando, Catherine Weibel. She specializes in pelvic rehabilitation and manually treated her coccyx. She never had pain again.

Here is a list of doctors by state, look for someone who does manual treatments. I hope this helps.

http://www.coccyx.org/treatmen/docsusa.htm

Replied by Faith
(Corsica, France)
06/02/2012

My coccyx hurts since some time. I have seen 2 generalists who don't take it seriously. I am in an isolated area and working 7 days a week. I am having a lot of pain in one leg. Swimming doesn't seem to help as the doctor said it would. Any ideas?

Replied by Steve
(Las Vegas, Nevada)
06/02/2012

Sounds like a pinched nerve. A good energy healer can help you with this issue easily. Peace, Steve

Replied by Mesem
(Manosque, France)
11/07/2012

Well, this has been a long search and not sure if I am OK yet but after seeing 5 different osteopaths I pleaded with my medicine generalist to give me a prescription for a x-ray (not that I like these things! ). Nothing wrong with the coccyx but the osteopath I saw yesterday could read the xray better than the radiographer and saw that the whole of my pelvis was twisted out of line. She went to work realigning everthing and have to say I feel lots better today. You really have to be determined to find solutions and traditinal med. will rarely help you in these sorts of situations.

HGH Therapy

Posted by Robert Henry (Ten Mile , Tn) on 12/27/2015

HI ALL, , , , , , , , , , the latest rage is that Payton Manning took HGH in 2011 when he had neck surgery. Who gives a hoot. We all produce HGH until we get old. That is what keeps us young and heal faster.

I took HGH shots in the stomach some 10 years ago. They cost like the rips, but they keep you young. So why not use them. This is total stupidity. These shots cause you to heal faster.

Where is the problem? Big Pharma is against this because they want you sick.

Would someone please explain the problem of HGH.

=======ORH=======

Replied by Liz
(Boston, Ma)
12/29/2015

Hi ORH,

I see nothing wrong with HGH use either. I wish it was something that everyone could afford access to.

However, as it relates to Peyton Manning, HGH is a banned substance in the NFL. It has been banned since 1991. Like PED's, the NFL sees HGH as performance-enhancing.

That said, they didn't begin testing for HGH until 2014, so we may never know whether or not Peyton used it. The only thing he hasn't denied (because he can't--there's a paper trail), is that the deliveries were in his wife, Ashley's name. And since that information would be protected under HIPAA laws, we will never really know.

What I found interesting in reading the articles, was that in 2011, Manning's wife had twins and I 'though' I'd read somewhere a while back (unrelated to anything Manning) that HGH was sometimes used in IVF treatments. I did a little research on that and found very little to support it.

What I did find while researching, was that many people questioned whether or not the twins were adopted or if they used a surrogate because Manning's wife was seen on March 4th (twins born on March 31st) and showed NO sign of being pregnant--much less almost full-term pregnant with twins. Interesting!

Also interesting that she was furious when the press released info on the twins birth. She said that such matters are "private", which of course, gave legs to the adoption/surrogacy stories.

Anyway! As I said, we'll never know whether or not Peyton used HGH due to HIPAA laws, but I would think, given the defamation he cites, that he would sue Al Jazeera for printing the story.

Replied by Art
(California)
12/29/2015
2326 posts

ORH,

HGH does not cause cancer directly, but some studies indicate it can fuel it. I wouldn't want my kids or people I know to take it unless they absolutely needed it to correct an imbalance. The youthful claims seem to me to be out weighed by the potential risks, but that's just my opinion.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16430706

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304179704579459290223091978

http://www.webmd.com/colorectal-cancer/news/20020725/growth-hormone-linked-to-cancer

http://www.preventcancer.com/patients/med_avoid/hgh.htm

Art

Replied by Robert Henry
(Ten Mile , Tn)
12/30/2015

HI U ART, , , , , , , , , , , read all your references and were typical articles by Big Brother to put fear into folks who want better health in their old age. Notice that these claims were not made after a long drawn out double blind tests as they normally require. They just ran off at the mouth.

Let me give you an example of how well I listen to our medical field. I have cancer and treating it with 3 protocols that the medical field either ruined the people that developed them or tried to. Here they are:

Rife Machine (1930) ----Royal Rife 100% cure rate

Budwig Diet (1950)-----Joana Budwig 80%

Essiac Tea (1922)------Rene Caisse 70%

Modern cancer treatment -------2 % cure rate

They finally finished the EDTA Chelation double blind test which passed in spite of their efforts to sabotage. This protocol affects lots of health problems but I did 60+ of them to clean the plaque out of my blood vessels. The Nagalase blood test is not done in the U.S., so we had to send our blood to Holland. This test will tell you if you have have Stage 1 or 2 cancer. Other than skin, no oncologist can do this. Injections of GcMAF will allow your own immune system to destroy your cancer in those stages. GcMAF is not made in the U. S. and is not allowed. Just ask the 6 deceased MD's in Ga. and Fl.

My wife had a female procedure a few months ago and her doctor is the head of that Department of Tennessee Medical School . He is renown in his field and a great guy. He said her problem arose due to Hormone Modulation , which is not a normal thing. When I said that she does Bio-identical. He replied that is still not normal. Since I's SJS, it took me awhile as to how I should have responded. Hell , nothing in the medical field is normal. Got a headache, take an aspirin. That ain't normal.

Sugar feeds cancer. Guess what Oncologists feed you...... yep sugar. Last time I saw my Orthopedist , he said my hip was good but my knee needs replacement. Not wanting to start any confusion, I neglected to tell him that I have been good to go for for the last 3 years after getting Ozone shots in Atlanta. That too is not normal , but it beats the heck out of an artificial knee, which also is not normal.

Sorry for going around the watermelon, but I use Doctors to tell me my problem and sometimes I go with their flow, but most times I find my own trail and it's not the Road to Abilene.

I thank you for your input on this thread.

========ORH========

Replied by Art
(California)
12/31/2015
2326 posts

ORH,

I'm a believer in chelation therapy, but many (most?) doctors are not. I take borax and most people look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them that, but it works for me so I continue with it. It may just be a placebo effect, but it works for me so I'll take that. I make and use quality colloidal silver, but I probably would never mention that to my doctor. Many health alternatives work and many work better than what doctors have to offer. It's not always easy to find the right one for each person, but it is a great feeling when you do!

We are definitely traveling down a road that is less traveled, but sometimes we have to do what we have to do in order to get well. That's what is so great about Earth Clinic......we don't have to do it completely alone and we get exposed to health ideas that most doctors will never even know about!

Art

Replied by Robert Henry
(Ten Mile , Tn)
12/31/2015

HI U ART, , , , , , , , , , when doing chelation I was in a room with about 6 other guys and most were doing chelation because they all had one or two by-passes and their doctor told them to get their paper work in order because he could not help them. Chelation is the way they stayed alive.

In Europe you cannot have a by-pass operation until you have done 30 EDTA Chelations and these doctors know this. When they or their kin get in deep stuff they do EDTA Chelation in the closet. Kinda like the Baptist and their dancing.

I can say that because we are Baptist, and me and my tractor driver are bad to Shag. Been to Myrtle Beach and Shag Atlanta many times. I won't let the big boys run us off the floor. But that was yesteryear.

The Cardiologists hated my Chelation MD because he could clean you out for about $3000 and they get a quarter million for a stop gap measure.

The same goes with the Oncologist and cancer, which your own body can cure in the 1st and 2nd stage if properly addressed. Ditto the Orthopedist and Ozone, which can help you avoid a replacement knee or hip. Ozone will regenerate cartilage. How else do you get out of pain when you have bone on bone?

In a car wreck in '98 and treated by a Dartmouth Orthopedic Surgeon for months to no avail. Read about magnets and bought a set from Sears. Next appointment he asked how I was doing. Great, after I started using magnets. He then told me that he did not need to see me again.

Art, I was conceived in sin, but born as innocent as a lamb. I got this way by life's experience and it has been a blast.

ATS=======ORH===========

Ligaments

Posted by Rose (Brooklyn, New York) on 09/08/2011

fell and tore lisfranc ligament in right foot which is between first and second toe. doctors want to remove cartilage between first and second metatorsal and then fuse them together. could stem cell therapy help to regrow the ligament? also what can help with inflamation and swelling?

Replied by Prana
(Australia)
05/20/2016

I saw your post, I know its along time since it happened but did you manage to get good advice and therapy and did your lisfrance heal? I'm going through a similar situation right now.

Massage, Acupuncture, Traumeel, Icing

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Posted by Kym (Niagara, Canada) on 06/14/2008
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I have severe elbow pain from both tennis elbow and golfers elbow caused by trauma to my elbow and then repetitive use. What has helped make it bearable for me is massage and acupuncture. I also use Traumeel cream on the elbow and Traumeel tablets dissolved in mouth 3x daily for relief of pain and inflammation. If the pain is bad and elbow is very inflamed, such as after alot of use, try icing for 10mins or an ice massage (rub an ice cube over affected area for 3-5mins should feel cold,then burny, then achy, then numb be sure to stop when it starts feeling numb). I also wear an elbow brace to support the elbow this helps alot if you have to use your elbow alot.

Shoulder - Torn Labrum

Posted by Michael (New York) on 12/12/2013

Hi, my name is Mike. I have a partial tear of my right shoulder labrum and was wondering if you knew of any other treatments beside surgery and rehab. I am in a lot of pain from it but refuse to get surgery or be on constant pain killers or have a cortisone shot. please help me. I heard injection into the site with hydrogen peroxide would work and some other stuff. What do you recommend? Sincerely, Michael

Replied by Paul
(Ma)
12/21/2016

Hi, Just saw a while back you posted about the shoulder labrum injury. Was or is it extensive as mine is and if so what have you done for it? I play tons of beach volleyball and got it injured that way and since august been doing phys thrpy its improved but too scared to play ball or compress it by sleeping on it. Contemplating non invasive pricey prp and adult stem cells I heard many good things about them so then comes the 3-6,000 dollar pricey and 3-6 month recovery. Many needle injections with lidocane and huge weedwacker stem cells so I'm actually freaked out since I saw a youtube video of it and yah just 30 min but I am low in pain tolerance so I am looking at less invasive stuff ie maybe blue cold laser but one dr said its not helpful. Been doing accupuncture probably not helpful I cant tell so ill say not. Essential oils the accupuncturist makes so for less serious tears like my knee I ll eventually by that and test it out. What have you done for the labral? What have you heard is good or bad? I jeard surgery once in a while works very well but most cases its the same as doing phys therapy and oyhers do repeat surgery. Thoughts? Best, Paul from boston

Tendons

Posted by Francisca (Zug, Switzerland) on 03/05/2012

I have had a bit of bad news today and I need a bit of advice, if possible! A while ago I did something stupid in the swimming pool and somehow tore a tendon in my left arm. Since then I have pain doing certain movements and in bed at night. The bone surgeon told me today that I need an operation where they make little holes, correct the growth that is now on the tendon and will be immobilized for 6 weeks. After that I will need a lot of exercises in order for my arm to get back to normal. Only half of the tendon is torn, the other half is working but stressed out because it works for both halves.

My question is, is there maybe another option than an operation? My brother-in-law had a similar problem in his knee and had steroids injected, he is ok now. My husband had the same problem with a sports injury many years ago, decided not to go for the operation and eventually got better. I am 54, so not one of the youngest. Is the operation the only way or is there something else one could try first? The surgeon told me that if I go for physiotherapy I will be better part of the time but sometimes I will get worse. I don't know what to do! As we are new here I don't know where else to go either and I need to decide quickly because otherwise in the middle of May we will move to the French countryside for some months and there things will be even more difficult! I can't stay this way because even if I mostly have no pain I do have pain doing some unexpected movements and I never know which ones!

Vinegar Soak

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Posted by TAN KOON PENG (SINGAPORE) on 06/22/2008
 ★★★★★

To relieve sore muscles from exercise soak in a warm tub with about 2 cups of vinegar poured into the water.. It will help with the soreness tremendously...Its actually best if you can soak with the vinegar after strenuous excercise, (before the soreness sets in), BUT, it will still help alleviate some of the soreness that is already there and you wil feel better soon.

Strawberry tea is good for muscle cramping and tightening. Some people like the tea leaves green but it tastes like straw.


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