Welcome to Maxx Sports Guides
Sports Medicine Services Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
Getting the Right Treatment for Sports Injuries
from: Maxx Sports GuidesMost people who've suffered a sports injury see their doctor for treatment, but ther are also some injuries that don't require a doctor to treat. There are also injuries that need immediate treatment until you can get to a doctor to help the recovery process begin. In this situation, getting treatment quickly could mean the difference between a 3-month recovery and a 2-month recovery. Thus, it's often critical to start treating the injury right away.
The most common injuries suffered are acute injuries. The best way to treat these is R.I.C.E. -- Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation -- initially, then determine if seeing a doctor is necessary. Each step has a different purpose with rest being essential to allow healing to begin as well as preventing further injury to the area.
Ice is important to help stop swelling in the injured area, which helps with diagnosing the injury. Compression is important because it helps reduce swelling further and provides support for the injury. Elevation is needed to reduces the flow of blood to the injured area, allowing the force of gravity to pull blood away, thus reducing bruising, swelling and pain.
Getting proper treatment using R.I.C.E. is to first take a piece of cloth, such as a towel, and wrap it around the injury. This will help protect the skin from irritation.
Next, apply an ice pack or cold compress directly over the injured area. Using an elastic bandage or a support bandage to hold the ice in place, carefully wrap the injured area snuggly, being careful not to wrap too tightly since you aren't trying to cut off the blood supply, just hold the ice in place. Apply ice for about 15 minutes every three hours during the day as an ongoing treatment.
If you can't decide if seeing a doctor is necessary, use these rules of thumb to assist you:
If you can see any bone, muscle, cartilage or ligaments, then an emergency trip to the doctor is absolutely necessary.
If the pain from the injured area seems to be spreading to other areas of the body, see a doctor.
If you have a lot of swelling in the injured area that following R.I.C.E. isn't helping.
If you can't move the injured area at all.
If you can't feel the injured area, or if it tingles or feels very weak and fragile.
If your injury hasn't improved after three weeks of rest.
If your injured area has developed a rash, fever, pus, or if it feels hot to the touch.
Finally, if you have any doubts about being able to treat the injury yourself, then consulting a doctor is essential if one of these conditions are visible. Always get help from your doctor if you aren't sure how to treat the injury.
If your doctor is unavailable, and the injury is serious, go to the emergency room or walk-in clinic for medical help. A serious injury should never go without medical help since the condition could worsen and thus require serious treatment or even surgery.
Sports Medicine Services News