Emergency room visits for sports injuries averages about 2 million Americans a year, according to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. And that isn’t including those sportsters who refuse to go to the emergency room and take care of their injuries themselves.
Ligaments, Tendons and RICE
Common sports-related injuries include sprained ligaments and strained tendons or muscles. Typically, sprained joints swell and are painful to the touch. The more pain and swelling, the higher the likelihood that your injury is severe.
Have you heard of the concept of RICE? Everyone who is active should be familiar with this concept that will help to relieve common sprains and strains.
- Rest your limb, but continue to exercise the other healthy limbs. This will keep up your general conditioning.
- Ice. As soon as possible, ice your injury to prevent excessive swelling. Ice the injury 15 to 20 minutes four to eight times a day. The more, the better.
- Compress the area with an elastic bandage or neoprene sleeve.
- Elevate the area above your heart, if possible, to help keep swelling down.
Cold for Inflammation Injuries
Ice is used primarily if your injury is swollen, hot and red – common indicators of inflammation. Icing is a great, drugless way of dealing with inflammation.
Apply cold packs to fresh injuries – those less than 24 hours old. If you have an “OUCH” moment when you feel or hear a snap as you’re moving, ice the area for about 10 minutes. It won’t hurt the injury and may help keep swelling down.
Ice decreases pain and has a numbing effect on nerves. Do not put ice packs directly on the skin -- it can cause frost burn. Use a moist washcloth and then put the ice pack over that to get the most benefit. Or you can rub an ice cube over the affected area until it melts. Repeat for about 20 minutes. Also, don’t ice injuries for longer than 30 minutes, about ten to 20 minutes will do.
Now that you know when to use ice properly, the next section will help you understand when to use heat for the most benefit to your injury.
Heat for Injuries
Heat is a good remedy for certain injuries too. But there are specific circumstances when you should and should not use heat. Do not use heat on swollen, inflamed tissues, for example (use ice instead).
Use heat for muscle spasms or tender muscle points (aka muscle knots) to expand the tissues. Muscle “knots” are literally that -- knots or tied-up muscle fibers that are painful to move. These are also known as “trigger points,” and they are painful to the touch. Trigger points are the most common reason for those pinpoint aches in the neck, shoulders or back. They sometimes manifest in response to another injury but soon can overshadow the pain and damage of that injury.
Here’s one way to help that knot in your neck: While in the shower, shoot a strong spray of hot water to your neck area for 20 seconds. Then shoot a spray of cold water for 10 seconds. Repeat three times. Your neck should be more relaxed than before.
Rest
One of the most important things to remember is to rest the injured body part. This helps the healing process and will prevent further injury to the already damaged joint, which can cause long-term instability. You may be advised to keep weight off the injury while it heals, so using crutches or a cane may be necessary. Don’t go back to exercising until your injured part is pain free. This is where some people get into trouble because they go back to the sport before the injury has healed. Some think Ace bandages and neoprene sleeves will protect from further injury, but that's not so. You still can injure yourself if the joint is weakened.
Other Treatments
Don’t be afraid to use over-the-counter pain relievers. Aspirin and ibuprofen will help with pain relief and inflammation caused by ligament or tendon damage. Acetaminophen is good for pain relief but does not relieve inflammation. If your injury doesn’t improve within two to three days, go see your doctor. The injury may be more than a sprain.
Also, if you can’t bear weight on the joint or it feels unstable, you may want to visit a doctor. These are indicators that perhaps the tendon or ligament is completely torn. A severe strain or sprain needs medical attention right away. A delay in treatment may result in long-term instability of the joint. Apply an ice pack on the way to the doc’s office.
If you have red streaks from the point of injury running up your leg, see a doctor right away. This is an indicator that you may have a burgeoning infection.
RICE, as well as applying heat in some cases, is a great concept to have in your back pocket as you go about your workout. “No pain, no gain” is a misconception. If there is pain, you are probably doing something wrong. Ensure that you use perfect form and technique, and your risk of injury will be low.