-New Urban Health- Ouch! Those Crucial First Moments After a Sprain or Strain
Joy, oh, joy, the adventures of middle age with all of it's aches and pains, and now...sprains? Did you know that what you do in the first 48 hours after an sprain or strain can have a dramatic impact on healing? Just this past weekend, we dealt with a nice slip on the last step out of our front entrance, only to later realize things weren't quite right on a Saturday evening close to bedtime. As swelling and inflammation set in after a sprain or strain, it’s important that you manage your responses appropriately in the time before you see your doctor to decrease pain and maximize healing, so you can get back to your normal life faster. So after that epic "misstep" while taking out Saturday's trash, what did we do next? Well...
R.I.C.E. = REST, ICE, COMPRESS, ELEVATE
1. Rest the injured limb. It needs time to heal and recover. Your doctor may recommend not putting any weight on the injured area for 48 hours, so you may need to use a cane or crutches. A splint or brace may also be helpful initially.
2. Ice the area. Use a cold pack, a slush bath or a compression sleeve filled with cold water to help limit swelling after an injury. Try to ice the area as soon as possible after the injury and continue to ice it for 15 to 20 minutes, four to eight times a day, If you use an ice pack, be careful not to use it too long, as this could cause tissue damage.
3. Compress the area with an elastic wrap or bandage. Compressive wraps or sleeves made from elastic or neoprene ("Neopren" in Deutsche) are best. Wrapping the injured or sore area with an elastic bandage will help decrease swelling. Don’t wrap it too tightly, because this can cause more swelling below the affected area. Signs that the bandage is too tight include numbness, tingling, increased pain, coolness, or swelling in the area below the bandage.
4. Elevate the injured limb above your heart whenever possible to help prevent or limit swelling. Gravity keeps the swelling down, giving fluid somewhere to go – meaning back into your body as opposed to pooling somewhere in the extremity you’re trying to elevate.
Achtung! Get emergency medical assistance if:
- You're unable to bear weight on the injury, the joint feels unstable or numb, or you can't use the joint. This may mean the ligament was completely torn. On the way to the doctor, apply a cold pack.
- You develop redness or red streaks that spread out from the injured area. This may mean you have an infection.
- You have pain directly over the bones of an injured joint.
- You have re-injured an area that has been injured a number of times in the past.
- You have a severe sprain. Inadequate or delayed treatment may contribute to long-term joint instability or chronic pain.
Sprains can take days to months to recover. So please note it is important to see your doctor to ensure everything is in order and especially if your sprain hasn't improved after two to three days.
SOURCES: MAYO CLINIC, University of Pittsberg Medical Center, and the BBC.
