By Craig Smith
Nottinghamshire CCC physio
Some minor aches and pains aren't serious enough for a trip to the doctors.
Below are five top tips which will nurse your body back to fitness in no time.
But if aches or pains persist, consult medical advice immediately.
RACQUET STRETCH
After a long hard game of tennis or squash, your hands and forearms may be a bit stiff.
An easy stretch is to clasp your hands together interlocking your fingers and pushing them away from you leading with your palms.
This will stretch the forearm muscles bringing blood flow to the area to ease the tension.
EASY P-EASY
A simple tip for a ready-made ice bag for those untimely knocks and sprains.
The next time you go grocery shopping, put your own order in for a 2kg bag of frozen peas.
When you need some ice just place the bag of frozen peas in a hand towel and voila....your own ready-made ice pack.
TENNIS BALL MASSAGE
For tired or achy feet after a long day in the field, grab a tennis ball, take off your socks and take a well-earned seat.
Place the ball under your foot and gently roll it back and forth from your heel to your toes.
To finish the foot massage off, put your feet in a tub of warm water for about five minutes to boost the blood flow.
TOWEL WORKOUT
Ever woken up with a stiff back that has come from nowhere?
An easy self-help treatment is to lie on the floor on your back with that trusty tennis ball again or rolled-up towel placed under the stiff area.
Now take 10 deep, slow breaths.
This will mobilise your chest cage and vertebrae helping to loosen up the stiff joint in your back.
If your pain gets worse or does not go away after a few days, consult your doctor or physio.
HOT/COLD TREATMENT
If you have suffered from a sprained ankle you can often get swelling for weeks later.
An easy way to get rid of this is to dunk your ankle in hot and cold baths.
Place ice water in one tub and bearable hot water in another and alternate between the two every two minutes.
Do this five times, making sure that you start and end with the cold bath.
The hot and cold treatment opens and closes your vessels helping to generate circulation and flush out the ankle of any excess fluid and swelling.
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~08~RS~)