How To Recover From Surgery Like A Professional Athlete

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When you have become injured an you need to undergo surgery, you will need to prepare like a professional and do whatever you can to recover quickly afterwards. If you take the right approach to your surgery prep and recovery, you will be back on the field before you know it.

Assemble Your Team and Supplies

You will need a medical team assembled to help you throughout your recovery, including a physical therapist, massage therapist and the surgeon. Have several massages before the surgery. The tissue will be relaxed and have adequate blood flow, which will help the surgeon.

Make sure that you have all the supplies necessary to recover, such as an ice bag. You will want to ice the site where you had the surgery to minimize pain and facilitate your recovery.

Fuel Yourself

A week before the surgery, you will want to drink plenty of fluids so your body is in a state in which it can heal more rapidly. Increase your calorie intake and make sure to have a balanced diet that includes plenty of antioxidants.

Occupying Yourself

One of the additional challenges of recovering from surgery as an athlete is that you will be used to being very active and you will have to spend a lot of time sitting still, which can be maddening.

Stress Relief

Find activities to take your mind off this fact or use the time to read books and watch videos that can instruct you on how to improve your craft. The less stressed you feel, the more quickly you will recover. Do not become angry because this will slow down your recovery.

Staying Healthy

Do not use your recovery period to drink and smoke, since both of these activities will slow down your recovery. Instead, eat a well-balanced meal and consume plenty of vitamin D. Spend time in the sun.

Preparing for Your Return

You will recover more quickly if you practice visualization and meditation. By imagining how you want your body to perform while you are resting, your brain will build neural pathways that will allow you to recover more quickly and perform better on the field when you are able to play again.

When you are well prepared to undergo surgery, make sure that you work with a sports medicine expert. As an athlete, you have additional concerns that a non-athlete wouldn't have when suffering an injury.    


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