If you’ve suffered any injury, overuse or otherwise, on the court, you probably want to get back in action as soon as possible. This is understandable, but you have to be careful as you do it. If you don’t treat your muscles right after an injury, it’s more likely that you’ll get hurt again, and it will take even longer to heal. To prevent repeated injuries, there are several ways to rehabilitate your muscles.

Take Time To Stretch

The best way to get your muscles back into shape is to ease into it. Simple, static stretches are a great way to do this. Stretching can boost your blood circulation and encourage flexibility, which in addition to helping you heal faster, can also help prevent future injuries! If you’re looking for simple stretches to start with, look for tutorials on the butterfly stretch, lunges, or even a few deltoid maneuvers.

Make Sure To Eat Something

Your body won’t be able to heal if it doesn’t have all of the nutrients it needs. Make sure that you’re eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, and proteins, and try to stay away from junk foods and anything that isn’t necessarily natural. Things like nuts, chicken, fish, or milk can all be great things to eat to make sure that your body is getting all of the calories it needs to keep you going as you try to recover. If you’re dairy-free or vegetarian, you can also try alternatives like sweet potatoes, avocados, and tofu for these health benefits.

Stay Hydrated!

Much like getting enough food in your body, it’s important to make sure that you have water as well. If you’re dehydrated, you’re more likely to cause another injury due to lack of fluid in your muscles. We don’t want that! Instead, try cutting back on soda and sports drinks to help your muscles heal- drinks like Gatorade can be useful sometimes, but water is often the better choice. Eight cups of water is the recommended average, but it’s perfectly normal to drink more than that.

Keeping Your Muscles Healthy

Your muscles are the basis of your performance in any sport, and they dictate how well you do. If you take care of your muscles and practice keeping them flexible and nourished, you’ll perform better in your activities. Make sure to eat plenty of protein and stay hydrated as you work out, to both help heal from old injuries and prevent new ones.