What do you do after an acute injury?
Many people don’t know whether to ice or to heat. The rule of thumb is that if you have been hurt in the past 48 hours, are experiencing inflammation, ice packs are your best bet. Ice helps to numb the pain, and aids in the event of swelling. The easiest way to use ice is to put a couple scoops into a towel and place it directly on the hurt area. A rubber band around the towel can keep the ice in. An ace bandage to hold it against the skin with compression is even more helpful. Other ideas are to do an ice massage, sliding the ice around (don’t keep it directly on skin to avoid frostbite), or perhaps use a baggie to hold the ice. If nothing better is around, find a frozen bag of veggies or such, and apply that to the injury. Make sure the area doesn’t get cold to fast, it should be a gradual treatment. Keep the hurt body part elevated. Depending where the ice is applied, keep it on for about 15 minutes + or – a few minutes. Give your skin time to warm up between applications. This can be done a few times a day.
Use Ice for acute injuries with swelling.
Of course, if the acute injury is severe, go to your physician or local hospital. It’s important to use common sense when there is an injury. The body is great at self-healing. It is repairing itself all the time. The inflammation in itself is part of that self-correction. So be wise- and make sure you don’t overdo the ice. But if you use it sparingly, it can help with the pain quite a bit. Those nerve endings will calm down.
Sharon Hartnett LMT, CST-D, SI
740 966-5153
