Winter sports season has just kicked off & you may find yourself treating an injury from a hard knock, sprain or strain at some stage in the season. You’ll need to know what to do quickly to have you back to your sport as soon as possible & you may be surprised to hear that anti-inflammatory medication is not recommended!
After an injury which has an inflammatory response (muscle strain, ligament sprain & corks) the current best management in the first 72 hours is:
Relative rest – do what you have to do within your pain limits & leave the training out.
Ice – apply ice for 20 mins every 2 waking hours (if you have to go to work, this is a bit difficult to keep up, but the most important time is directly after your injury – so get it on early as much as you can). Frozen peas make a great ice pack to mould to the body, just make sure you put a damp tea towel underneath to prevent ice burn on the skin. Mark the pack “Do Not Eat These Sweaty Peas!” before you put them back in the freezer.
Compression – after icing put an elastic bandage on to reduce the amount of swelling. It needs to be firm but comfortable. A sure sign it’s too tight is blue toes/fingers.
Elevation – when you are icing, lie down & put your injured body part up (unless your body part is the body, I don’t recommend standing on your head for a low back strain)
Pain relief can be gained from medication such as paracetamol, but anti-inflammatories are not recommended because of their negative effect on the important natural healing process of inflammation. Anti-inflammatories chemically cut a critical stage of the inflammation process required for normal healing & studies have shown prolonged time away from sport as a result.
The four step R.I.C.E. management above reduces the overall amount of swelling produced without changing the chemical components of it. This limits excess damage to the surrounding tissue area & reduces injury time.
It’s most important in the first 72 hours… while you are making an appointment with ocean view physio in Wamberal for an accurate diagnosis & treatment plan to get you back out there as hard & fast as ever!
Russell Wright (Physiotherapist)
ocean view physiotherapy
central coast foot & ankle physiotherapy
86 ocean view drive wamberal
