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You fall into a hole and sprain your knee or your ankle. You make an attempt to stop falling with your wrist. Phew! We all experience these situations as humans.
Undoubtedly, these injuries are not hard to recognize. We experience the pain first; then, we experience the swelling. Whether the injury is severe or not, the pain still comes first, then the swelling.
Do you know an injury is any damage your body feels? Physical violence or accidents can lead to injuries. These situations may happen at plays, at work, or at home. You need to know that any time your body has an injury, inflammation and swelling is the response your immune system gives. Your body hastens antibodies, white blood cells, and many helpful fluids in the injured area of your body. Sounds good, right? Well, this happens when there is inflammation.
Here’s the deal. The excess fluid your body releases helps your damaged tissues not continue to be injured. Well, swelling can become too much. It can also go on for an extended period. More so, it can cause other problems. But, you can prevent your swelling from getting too much. Now you’re probably wondering how you can reduce swelling from an injury. This article will help you understand how to reduce swelling from an injury.
You need to apply some methods to reduce swelling after an injury. Truth is, it can be tempting to attempt and go on with your daily activity after you sustain an injury, but you should rest the wounded area for some days. Long story short, your body’s most powerful healing process is rest. Below are the ways you can handle an injury and reduce the swelling to the barest:
What this means is you should put direct pressure on your injury. This is a great way of reducing swelling by limiting blood flow. This method is very efficient and can be achieved in several ways. Items such as elastic bandages, compression bandages, or cold compression tools will give your injury sufficient compression. The good part of it is that they won’t be too constrictive.
This method can further help you feel relieved by making the injury immobilized in a way. You should purchase Hampton Adams elastic compression bandage. Our elastic bandage wrap gives you all the compression you need to support your injuries quickly.
The fastest thing you can do to reduce swelling from an injury is using a cold compress or an ice pack on the affected area. It reduces swelling by limiting blood flow to the injury and slowing cellular metabolism. Do you know that putting cold daily several times for 30 minutes will minimize swelling? This particularly helps in the days after sustaining the injury. If your injury lingers for over six weeks, it’s okay to use heat.
You can apply Hampton Adams reusable ice packs for cold and hot therapy. The best part of this product is that it stays soft even after freezing. Ice packs of lower quality can make you feel worse instead of feeling better when you apply to your injury. Our ice pack at Hampton Adams retains its temperature for longer than other cheaper ice packs. All thanks to the high-quality gel it contains. This product is here to support you all the way through your recovery process.
It might interest you to know that elevating an injury immediately after an accident will help minimize blood flow. This results in reducing your swelling. If you injure your leg, put your leg reclined or up while seated. This is to ensure there is no excess fluid in the injured area. If you injure your arm, relax it on a chair or table. This will help to keep it above your heart level.
You should make healthy food choices. This is as necessary as the supplements and medications you take for your recovery process. This can help you fight chronic swelling from your injury.
Take foods that have Omega-3 fatty acids. Foods like soybeans, salmon, flax seeds, and walnuts contain high Omega-3 fatty acids.
You can as well eat fruits and vegetables that contain them too. Some foods that also contain anti-inflammatory properties are blueberries, tea, olive oil, celery, grapes, garlic, and spices like turmeric and ginger. This helps protect your injury from chronic swelling.
Cut back foods that have trans-fats like corn oil and margarine. Avoid red meat and processed and deep-fried foods.
This is helpful as our muscles are a biological pump to remove fluid from the injury. Amazingly, exercise has a lot of benefits for your well-being. Exercise enhances circulation and stimulates an anti-inflammatory response.
Here’s another thing that massages can greatly help, as well: massages makes the lymphatic system remove swelling from the injury. Usually, trained massage therapists or physical therapists carry out this form of massage. However, you can still attempt this type of massage by yourself without training.
This massage can be helpful if your lymphatic system is still in place. It won’t be bad to make an attempt, certainly. Your body has larger clusters of lymph nodes at some main parts. These key parts are the armpits, pelvic and abdominal areas, and neck and back of the knees.
The first thing to do is find the lymph nodes near your heart. It should be closer than the injured part. The second thing to do is to begin to massage the lymph node cluster tenderly. Start to massage the inflammation towards those lymph nodes gently. Lastly, continue with this practice until you feel a swelling reduction.
Reduce or stop taking simple carbohydrates. Carbs like refined sugar, white rice, white flour, and any meal with high fructose corn syrup. Try as much as you can to stop white foods. Do away with pasta, rice, white bread, and any food with flour and white sugar. You may be wondering how you can replace these meals. It’s simple. Make your diet contain lean proteins.
Also, eat foods that have a lot of fiber, like fruits and vegetables. Whole grains like whole wheat bread and brown rice should be part of your diet.
Drinking a lot of water comes with many benefits. Water helps good circulation. It also helps reduce swelling from an injury. It is of benefit to your urinary and kidney health too.
Important vitamins that help reduce swelling from an injury are vitamin C and vitamin D. These give your body immunity and fight chronic swelling. They are excellent antioxidants. You can take them to reduce swelling. They work by making free radicals that lead to oxidative damage to your cells neutral. You can get your vitamin C from your diet only. Good sources of vitamin C are green, orange, yellow, and red fruits and vegetables. There are also vitamin C supplements that are safe to buy.
Anti-inflammatory tablets that are over-the-counter can help you reduce swelling from an injury. Painkillers such as Ibuprofen, aspirin, or paracetamol help relieve pain. Also, you can reduce your pain and how much water your body retains by taking supplements like magnesium. You can take magnesium with your meals. It is advisable to speak with your doctor first before taking drugs.
When swelling becomes chronic, it damages your joints, arteries, and organs. Left untreated, it can lead to Alzheimer’s, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, obesity, and blood level disease. It is common to feel fatigued a bit. This is an early and subtle sign of severe swelling.
If you try all the methods above and your swelling does not reduce, you are advised to seek medical help. Although short-term acute swelling can help you heal, it may be a source of worry when the swelling becomes severe. No matter how old you are or what you do, if the affected area turns sore, red, or warm to the touch, this could be a sign of an infection.
It is important for your well-being that you reach out to your doctor or physical therapist if you experience these signs. Your doctor should help you know the signs and symptoms that are normal parts of swelling. You’ll also get to know if it is severe and could be a symptom of an infection.