How You Can Self Treat A Sports Injury
If you have suffered from a sports injury, you may not be able to visit the doctor right away if it is something that is more minor and doesn't require any extensive care. You may even use self treatment practices for sports injuries after a visit to the doctor to help with the healing process. Here are some of the best self treatments for sports injuries:
- Protection: Once you have been injured, you want to be sure that you keep that injured part of your body protected from further injury. If you have a minor injury that didn't require a trip to the doctor, just be sure to cover the area with a bandage to help keep it from becoming infected if you have an open cut. If you are wearing a cast or sling, however, then just be sure that you don't put any pressure on the area and keep the cast and sling clean to prevent infection to the wound.
- Rest: Once you have suffered from a sporting injury, one of the best things to do is to get some rest. You want to be sure that you don't continue to participate in the same sport that has caused your injury until it has healed completely. You can still participate in other activities, however. For example, if you have hurt your shoulder, you can still go for walks. You don't have to stay indoors all day and become upset at yourself for the injury.
- Use Ice: Ice is an anti-inflammatory, which means that it easily reduces swelling and pain. This is the cheapest way that you can treat a bruised area of your body. You should apply ice for at least 15 minutes after the injury and continue to apply the ice every hour during the rest of that day. Then you can just use ice once a day after that until the swelling has gone down. Just be sure that you protect your skin with a thin cloth instead of applying the ice directly to your skin, which can cause blistering.
- Compression: Another way to reduce swelling and pain is to apply pressure. When you wrap an injury, be sure that you wrap it tightly enough to where it is comfortably snug. You don't want it to be too tight, which can just increase the amount of pain.
- Elevation: Elevation is important when treating a sports injury since elevation draws fluid away from the injury, which also reduces swelling and tenderness. Laying the injury in an elevated position will allow you to get comfortable much faster, as well.
By using some of these self treatment methods, you can easily get back to normal again, which is even more helpful when you have the help of a doctor as well. Try seeking medical attention from a chirpractor such as Rosser Chiropractic Center too.
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