Ice or heat to apply to an ankle injury? What s the difference?

Of course, you should apply ice first, ice can quickly reduce swelling, if it is a hot compress, it will speed up blood flow, and it can also reduce swelling, but it is slower.

It is best to apply ice first. If it is a hot compress, it may cause the ankle injury to be more serious, and even cause blood flow to be blocked.

Within 24 hours of the ankle joint, you first need to use ice packs or cold towels to apply cold compresses to the local area to promote capillary constriction and reduce the amount of bleeding in subcutaneous blood vessels, after 24 hours of ice, use hot towels or hot water bottles to apply hot compresses to the local area to promote blood circulation, which can speed up the absorption and subsidence of congestion, and can also reduce local swelling and pain.

Ankle sprains should be treated with a cold compress followed by a warm compress.

Sprains are an inevitable problem in life, especially the ankle joint is the most prone to sprain, once twisted, the most direct reaction is pain, and then according to the degree of sprain, see if there will be swelling or bruising. For this kind of injury, many people often do not care, and often the old disease is not healed, and the new injury becomes a habitual repeated sprain, affecting motor function and daily life.

Ankle sprain can be a slight pain in the area, and in severe cases, the entire foot may be bruised, swollen, or even difficult to walk. In case of acute attack, you should immediately rest and stop exercising and competing.

Therefore, not turning the injured joint is the first lesson of nursing, followed by ice; You can use a plastic bag to put some ice cubes, add some water to the injured area, and rest for five minutes after every 15 minutes, and this action can be repeated.

About one or two hours (about three days).

Remember not to give inappropriate massage and massage, which may worsen the inflammatory reaction. Temporary use of underarm crutches may be considered to avoid excessive force on the foot when walking, which may affect recovery or re-sprain. When resting, elevate your feet as high as possible to increase blood circulation and reduce ankle swelling.

Patients should also seek medical attention immediately to rule out the possibility of ligament rupture, fracture, etc. Rehabilitation** is more effective in eliminating pain and swelling.

In the case of ankle sprains, it is not only necessary to solve the pain, but also to find out the cause of the injury and how to prevent recurrence.

Ankle sprains can be caused by improper choice of venues, shoes, and even abnormal foot structures such as flat feet. For injured feet, it is necessary to strengthen the training of their flexibility, muscle strength and body balance to prevent further injury!

Finally, an elastic bandage is used to wrap around the injured joint; Also, elevate the injured area every day to avoid swelling. This way of dealing with it without spending money will be of great help to sprained joints.

The reason for the first cold is that there will be swelling and bruising when it is just twisted to the local area, and the cold compress is to try to prevent the formation of too much bruising; The reason for the posterior heat is that there is still a little swelling and bruising, so that the congestion can dissipate as soon as possible.

<><Should I apply heat or ice to my feet?

1. Rest.

Stop walking immediately to rest the injured ankle and relieve the pain and discomfort caused by the injury. Some people walk in pain after breaking their feet, thinking that it is good to be active, which is a wrong concept. Walking or moving in pain can worsen the injury and is not conducive to the recovery of the injured tissue.

2. Cold compress.

Use a plastic bag with a mixture of ice cubes and water, wrap the ice pack with a towel and place it on the affected area, the ice compress time is about 15 20 minutes at a time, observe it for about 5 minutes, and then ice it again after resting, repeat many times to avoid frostbite.

Ice can constrict blood vessels and slow down local blood circulation; Reduce injury and necrosis of cells and tissues; pain relief; Relieves muscle spasms; Reduces the permeability of the blood vessel wall and reduces swelling.

3. Pressurized bandaging and fixation.

The goal is to compress the injured blood vessel by applying a local bandage, reducing bleeding and exudation, thereby reducing tissue swelling and pain. At the same time, compression bandaging also plays a role in local fixation of the ankle joint, which can reduce pain and tissue re-injury due to local instability or activity.

4. Elevate the affected limb.

Elevate the affected limb on the basis of sufficient rest and avoiding activity to promote blood return of the injured limb and reduce congestion of the injured tissue, so as to reduce swelling. The injured limb can be elevated by 10 to 20 centimeters, that is, if the person is lying down, the affected limb can be raised by 10 to 20 centimeters, which is higher than the level of the heart, which can promote blood return and reduce ankle swelling.

Precautions within 24-48 hours:

1) Try to rest, reduce activity, and elevate the affected limb when you have the opportunity (put the affected limb on a chair at the same height when sitting; If it's convenient, try to lie down. ）。

2) If the local skin temperature of the affected area is higher than that of the unaffected side, intermittent ice application is still required.

3) If you must stand or walk, it is recommended to use an elastic bandage for local protection or support, and you can also use a suitable ankle brace. At the same time, it is not recommended to wear it for a long time, and the support should be removed in time when resting.

4) It is recommended to go to the acupuncture department for acupuncture** to dredge the meridians and reduce edema.

Should I apply heat or ice to my feet?

Rest. Stop walking immediately and get plenty of rest.

2. Cold compress.

Fill a plastic bag with a mixture of ice cubes and water, wrap the ice pack with a towel and place it on the affected area, apply ice for about 15 to 20 minutes at a time, return to the left and right for 5 minutes to observe, and then ice again after resting, repeat many times to avoid frostbite.

3. Elevate the affected limb.

Elevation of the affected limb on the basis of adequate rest and avoidance of activity can elevate the injured limb by 10 to 20 centimeters, that is, if the person is lying flat, elevate the affected limb by 10 to 20 centimeters.

Precautions within 24-48 hours:

1. Try to rest and reduce activities.

Elevate the affected limb when you have the opportunity (sit with the affected limb in a chair at the same height and lie down as much as possible if it is convenient). )。

2. Try to lie down.

Elevate the affected limb when you have the opportunity (sit with the affected limb in a chair at the same height and lie down as much as possible if it is convenient).

1. Cold compress is a method to reduce the temperature of tissues to achieve the best effect. Cooling can reduce the amount of blood in the tissues and slow down the metabolism of the tissues, so applying ice to the acute inflammation or the first injury can reduce bleeding and inflammation. In addition, for spasticity, muscle contractures also have a certain effect, and can also raise the pain threshold and reduce pain.

Cold compresses are generally suitable for the following situations:

Acute injury: Injuries caused by sudden conditions, such as broken feet, twisted knees, strains, etc., usually cause immediate pain and swelling. Immediate ice compress can have an analgesic and anesthetic effect.

Acute onset of chronic injury, exercise training, post-surgery**: Ice can also be applied after pain, swelling, and fever to reduce swelling, analgesia, and minimize discomfort.

2. Hot compress is a common method in physiotherapy, which is to use hot objects such as hot water bottles or hot towels to eliminate or reduce pain. It can dilate local capillaries, accelerate blood circulation, and play a role in reducing inflammation, reducing swelling, dispelling cold and dampness, reducing pain and eliminating fatigue.

Therefore, hot compresses are suitable for chronic inflammation and pain. Examples include chronic low back and neck pain, chronic degenerative knee arthritis, muscle fatigue or spasticity, etc.

3. The first thing to do after spraining your foot is to rest in place, let your foot slow down, and when you don't know the severity of the injury, don't walk reluctantly, and don't rush to rub the injury, so as not to aggravate the swelling and pain.

When you just sprain, the local tissues will bleed and swell, and there will be obvious redness, swelling and pain, in order to reduce this inflammatory reaction, you can only apply cold compresses but not hot compresses.

The purpose of cold compress is to reduce the local temperature, constrict the subcutaneous blood vessels, slow down the local blood circulation, achieve the effect of hemostasis, pain relief and swelling, and can also reduce the muscle spasm caused by injury and avoid secondary injury to tissue cells.

Method: Wrap ice cubes in wet towels and apply ice to the affected area (do not apply ice cubes directly to the affected area to avoid frostbite), 10-15 minutes each time, rest for 20 minutes before applying the next ice compress, you can apply it multiple times according to the situation, and you can achieve the effect of reducing swelling.

Warm compresses may be applied after the acute phase of injury. Hot compresses are mainly used to increase the temperature and blood flow of local tissues to promote metabolism, promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, and relieve chronic pain. Warm compresses can also increase the extensibility of soft tissues, reduce the chance of joint stiffness, promote tissue recovery, and achieve pain relief.

Method: Use a hot water bottle or moist hot towel with a certain temperature (generally about 50) to apply to the lesion site, which can promote local blood vessel dilation, improve blood circulation, promote blood stasis and exudate absorption, and help promote wound healing.