Try These 5 Quick Tips To Heal Injury Swelling

Injuries are a part of life. You never know what hits you and you get hurt. As part of the inflammatory response, swelling is the body’s natural reaction to an injury. The excess fluid produced by the body helps protect damaged tissues from further injury. Here are 5 ways to help you get relief from swelling.

Resting

Using an injured body part will contribute to swelling by encouraging blood flow and irritating damaged cells. Although it may be tempting to try and continue normal activity after an injury, it’s usually a good idea to rest the area for at least a few days.

Ice Pack

Applying cold to an injury helps reduce swelling by restricting blood flow to the area and slowing down cellular metabolism. You can use ice packs, cold therapy systems, ice baths, or cryotherapy chambers to deliver cold to the affected area.

Pressure

Applying pressure to an injury helps reduce swelling by restricting the flow of blood and other fluids. You can apply compression with static bandages, elastic bandages, or cold compression devices.

Elevation

Elevating an injury above the level of the heart also contributes to reduced blood flow and, therefore, less swelling. With leg injuries, it’s important to keep the legs elevated while seated or reclining so that excess fluid is not allowed to collect around the injury.

Medication

Always follow the dosage guidelines and ask your doctor about potential interactions with other medications. In some cases, NSAIDs can cause undesirable side effects, so limiting their use is generally recommended.