Tips for Healing an Injury Faster and Getting Back to Activity Sooner

By Louise Marie Schollaert, Certified Personal Trainer

My recent experience with a broken toe — while relatively minor — has been a strong reminder of just how frustrating and slow the healing process can feel, especially when you’re used to moving your body daily. As an active person and personal trainer, being sidelined from running, hikes, and yoga has been challenging. But it’s also reminded me how important it is to support your body properly when healing from any injury — big or small.

Here’s what I’ve been doing (beyond the typical R.I.C.E. protocol) to promote faster healing and maintain as much strength and mobility as possible during this recovery period.

Physical Recovery Tips

1. Essential Oils & Arnica- Applying healing essential oils like helichrysum, cypress, and fir topically 2–3 times daily can help reduce inflammation and promote circulation. I’ve also used arnica gel to help with bruising and swelling.

   
   

2. Gentle Massage Around the Injury- Even though my broken toe needs to stay splinted and protected, I’m gently massaging the surrounding joints and soft tissue. This includes ankle pumps, circles, calf stretches, hip mobility work, and foam rolling the hips, quads, and calves. Keeping blood flowing to nearby areas helps the body heal more efficiently.

   
   

3. Safe, Supportive Movement- While I’ve temporarily said goodbye to hiking, running, and yoga (anything that bends or loads the toe), I’ve maintained upper-body and core workouts, plus exercises like glute bridges, plié squats, and stability work that keep my toe flat and protected. As a functional fitness trainer, I help clients modify workouts to stay active through injuries — and now I'm taking my own advice.
   

4. Skip the NSAIDs When Possible- Anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen may reduce pain, but they can also interfere with the body’s natural healing response. I’ve avoided painkillers entirely during this recovery and opted to embrace a little discomfort instead — it's a good teacher and reminder to take things slowly.

   
   

5. Contrast Therapy- Alternating between hot soaks and cold plunges has helped reduce pain and inflammation and promote circulation.

   
   

6. Red Light Therapy- stimulates your mitochondria, the energy powerhouses of your cells, to increase ATP production which promotes faster cell regeneration and repair.

Nutritional & Supplement Support

What you put in your body is just as important as how you move it. Here are some foods and supplements I’ve leaned on to boost my recovery:

• Calcium-rich foods – Leafy greens, sea veggies, salmon, sardines, and unsweetened cultured dairy all support bone repair.

  
  

• Zinc – Found in pumpkin seeds, beef, and spinach, zinc boosts immune response and supports tissue regeneration.

  
  

• Vitamin K – Kale, broccoli, and other green veggies help with healthy clotting and bone healing.

  
  

• Vitamin D – Plays a crucial role in various aspects of healing, including bone repair, skin wound healing, and reducing inflammation that can hinder the recovery process. Most of us are D deficient.

• Omega-3s – (EPA and DHA) Helps regulate the inflammatory process by clearing debris and fighting infection. They also stimulate collagen production. Good sources include fatty fish (like salmon, mackerel, and sardines), certain nuts and seeds (such as flaxseed, chia seeds, and walnuts).

  
  

• Turmeric/Curcumin – Curcumin has been shown to have potential benefits for wound healing due to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. 

  
  

• Bone Broth & Collagen – I sip bone broth throughout the day or add collagen powder to my smoothies to support connective tissue healing.

  
  

• Stem Regen Supplements – These have helped with more serious injuries like my past hamstring tendinopathy. They're an investment, but as someone in my late 40s, I find occasional stem cell support worthwhile, since our own production starts to decline in our 30's.

Things to Avoid While Healing

Certain foods and substances can slow down healing or increase inflammation:

• Alcohol

• Sugar

• Soda

• Excess caffeine

• Refined grains

• Seed Oils

  
  

These can interfere with nutrient absorption, spike inflammation, and make it harder for your body to rebuild tissue effectively.

Final Thoughts from your Post Falls Personal Trainer

While the title of this article is about healing your injuries faster, it's important to remember that healing takes time — and that’s okay. We’re so conditioned to expect instant results that injury recovery can feel painfully slow. But your body is working incredibly hard beneath the surface. Give it rest, nourishment, and gentle movement, and you’ll come back stronger than before. You've got this!

If you’re local to North Idaho and need help navigating an injury, I highly recommend Nadine Waeghe at NW Integrative Physiotherapy: https://www.nwintegrativept.com. I've been working with her lately and she's amazing, especially for those nagging issues you've seen multiple other doctor's for and still haven't resolved them.

And if you want help modifying workouts during your healing process — let’s talk. I'm here to help you keep moving safely and efficiently through every season.

Stay strong,

Louise Schollaert, Certified Personal Trainer & Injury Recovery Coach