injuries

if you think you may have an injury, see a medical practitioner (physiotherapist, GP) as soon as possible. first response is crucial to recovery.

you may have a soft tissue injury (muscle strain/ligament sprain) if you are experiencing two or more of the following in the localized area:

pain
dysfunction
redness
heat
swelling

initially, follow the RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) procedure:

rest

immediate rest to the area is crucial. far better to over rest an area than put it under any pressure too soon. it is extremely important that you do not ‘test’ the affected area to see if it still hurts as this may cause further damage to the tissues, making healing much slower.

ice

ice is extremely effective in reducing bleeding within the damaged tissues (which is what has happened if you have a sprain or strain). ice wrapped in a wet cloth is an excellent heat conductor and should be applied to the local area as soon as possible. never apply ice directly to skin, it can cause it to burn. depending on the size of the area, ice should be applied between 5 to 20 minutes and the skin should be pale afterwards. if the skin is pink upon removal of the ice, it has been left on too long. continue icing the area every hour.

compression

compression should be applied to the area as quickly as possible to further prevent bleeding within tissues.

elevation

elevation of the injured area should be practised as often as possible and immediately after an injury. if a limb is injured, make sure it is raised higher than the torso, allowing gravity to decrease swelling and promote recovery.

depending on the severity of injury, usually, 48 hours after initial injury, sports and remedial massage therapy and MICE (mobilization, ice, compression, elevation) treatment can begin.