Small but Mighty: Twelve Homeopathic Remedies for Sports Injury

Homeopathy is not usually the first treatment considered following a sports injury.  However, alongside physical therapy it can improve outcomes significantly, and get you back in the game – or on the running track or dance floor – much more quickly.  

Homeopathy works by precisely matching the symptom picture of your injury, including constitutional factors where relevant, such as susceptibility to injury, or long term weakness or tendency to slow healing.  The right remedy match powerfully stimulates the healing process.  This means that stiffness, pain and inflammation in an acute injury will typically reduce more quickly, returning you to full strength promptly and without further complications.

Homeopathy is worth considering for the long term effects of sports injury too.  I have seen cases where a past injury has not healed well, and has continued to affect the person’s health – sometimes for years afterwards.  Homeopathic treatment can often resolve old injuries and underlying weaknesses, freeing you up to get back to what you love doing.

I started this article with ten remedies for sports injury, but there are so many fabulous first aid remedies that it grew to twelve.  Self prescribing is fine for first aid and recent injuries.  The right remedy match will help.  See my free e-book My Top Ten Homeopathic Remedies for the basics on how to select and take the remedies, when to repeat the dose, etc.  You can download it to keep for future reference.  If you are injury prone, continue to suffer from an old injury, or if first aid prescribing doesn’t resolve the problem completely, constitutional care may be helpful.  Get in touch with me to book an appointment, or if you’d like to have a chat or ask me a question.

Here are the first aid remedies.  There are very many more, but I consider these to be among the most frequently needed for sports injury.

Arnica: the first line treatment for physical trauma, Arnica will also address the psychological effects of recent injuries.  Arnica corresponds to bruising, swelling and pain associated with most traumatic injuries, and is the first remedy to think of in this situation.

Bryonia: the key symptom leading to Bryonia is aggravation from  even the slightest motion, especially motion of the affected limb or other part.  This may be a typical situation in stress fractures, shoulder injuries, knee injuries or after knee surgery, as well as lower back pain.  Pain will be worse on doing anything that causes motion, including deep breathing, coughing or turning over in bed.  The pain will be helped by firm, immobilising pressure, bandaging, or lying on the painful part (which also prevents movement).

Calc fluor: this remedy is specific for sports injury due to muscle strain and overstretching of ligaments and tendons.  This can result in pain and swelling, especially hard nodular swelling.  Calc fluor is also one of Schuessler’s twelve tissue salts, and can be taken as a tonic to improve tone in muscles and ligaments.

Calc phos: this is one of the first remedies to think about after a fracture, especially if you are prone to slow healing.  Calc phos will boost your natural healing ability and promote the formation of callus in fractures.  It is also one of Schuessler’s tissue salts, and can be taken for a period of time to rebuild strength in bones after a fracture.

Ferrum: in the treatment of injury this remedy corresponds specifically to injuries of the right shoulder, including rotator cuff injuries, and tendinitis affecting the shoulder.  It should be thought of in frozen shoulder affecting the right side.  There is pain on moving or lifting the arm, and the pain tends to be worse when lying in bed at night.

Hecla lava: this is one of a group of remedies used by homeopaths in the treatment of injuries to bones and connective tissues.  It is specifically used in cases of bone spur resulting from injury, eg in ‘footballer’s ankle’.

Hypericum:  is known as the ‘Arnica of the Nerves’ and is used in injuries to parts rich in nerves, most commonly spinal injuries and injuries to the coccyx, but also fingers, toes and head injuries, particularly where the pain is sharp, shooting and neuralgic in character.

Rhododendron: as with the other remedies in this list, Rhododendron does have a wider action, but in sports injury it is one of the main remedies used in groin injury.  This remedy is especially indicated where the testes are swollen and painful, and the pain is tearing and paralysing.

Rhus tox: as with Arnica, Rhus tox is one of the most useful first aid remedies at our disposal, and has a wide range of uses.  In sports injury, it is most commonly used for injuries caused by repetitive strain and overexertion.  One of its main indications is where the condition is worse for rest and on beginning movement, and better after continued movement.  The affected parts tend to feel worse in cold and damp conditions, and better for warm bathing and warm applications.  It is helpful in all kinds of traumatic injuries, sprains and strains, which are often accompanied by stiffness and burning.

Ruta: this remedy has an affinity for tendons, ligaments and cartilage, and in injuries to  these connective tissues it is almost always helpful.  In injuries caused by excessively strenuous activity, there may be lameness or weakness.  It is also useful in injuries to the periosteum (covering of bones).

Strontium carb: has a particular affinity for the ankles.  This remedy is used in the treatment of ankle injuries, especially where there continues to be swelling and pain long after the original injury, with feelings of weakness in the affected ankle.

Symphytum: this remedy is derived from the comfrey plant, which is also known as ‘Knitbone’.  It can be used routinely to promote healing of fractures, and especially in cases where there is difficulty healing, or where there are torn muscles, tendons or ligaments.  It is also used where a blow to the eye area causes pain in the eyeball itself.  

Please get in touch if you would like to discuss treatment.  I consult locally in Tavistock, Devon, or worldwide via Zoom.