A word of warning first, with any injury it is worth seeking medical advice, just to ensure serious damage has not been caused. I sprained my wrist (or so I thought) so I left it for a month before I sought medical advice. To my horror, it ended up being complete rupture to the ligaments, which required full surgery to put right and has left me with a reduced range of movement. My advice comes from finding out the hard way….it is better to be safe than sorry! If you are positive medical advice is not needed, or have sought advice and the injury is minor rather than major, the following article may be of use.
The Acute Phase
The acute phase of an injury is said to be the first 48hrs, so from the instant it is injured, get is seen to asap. The type of injuries you can treat yourself are sprains to ligaments, strains to muscles or impacts causing bruising. All of these injuries, if left untreated, will be dealt with by the body’s natural biological pathways. These lead to classic inflammatory responses, i.e. heat, pain, redness and swelling, all of which are to protect from further injury and are characteristic of this phase, along with discolouration and loss of function as well.
PRICE
PRICE is the simple mnemonic used to help remember how to treat an injury. Standing for: Protect, Rest, Ice, Compress and Elevate.
Protection
To aid recovery and prevent further injury the injured body part must not be used in any painful activities or positions. It is sensible to immobilise it entirely.
Rest
This is arguably the most important part of injury management in first 48hrs, and has direct contribution to healing process. Anything causing pain and/or discomfort MUST be avoided. However, as soon as activities can be done pain free, it is important to begin active recovery.
Ice
Ice is such a valuable tool for injury treatment. It will reduce swelling and heat by narrowing the diameter of blood vessels. The cold will also numb the area, which will reduce pain. See below for “how to ice”.
Compression
Some sort of compression will help to control the swelling to the area by offering counter pressure to the injured body part, by reducing blood flow. There are a number of ways in which pressure can be applied, a “tubigrip” style bandage, a regular wrapped bandage, or a “compression bandage”. N.B. it is important to check the circulation of compressed area by squeezing a part of the body below the injured area (example toes of fingers) and ensuring blood is seen to return. If it starts to hurt above and below the injury, chances are the compression is too tight!
Elevation
The injured body part, specifically leg or arm, must be in elevated above heart level. This allows return of blood and inflammatory fluids from injury site, and therefore reduces swelling. While elevated, it is important to do active recovery in pain free range, i.e. static exercises, this also mean the muscles will aid drainage of swelling as they “pump” while they work.
What To Ice With
As a practitioner of Parkour/Freerun you are likely to sprain, strain or bruise yourself at some point or another. Therefore it may be worth purchasing an ice pack system from a sports shop. Most are under £10 and consist of a gelatine ice pack for the freezer (which can also be microwaved to act as a heat pack), a cover to put it in; to protect skin, and an elastic Velcro strap for attaching to the injured site.
Ice Pack System
If you do not have one of these packs, a pack of frozen vegetables is suitable as it can be moulded around the injured site.
A Bag Of Frozen Peas Will Suffice
How To Ice
Ice should be applied until injured site is numb, which usually takes around 15-20 minutes. This should be done every 2hrs while awake. It is important to protect the skin from an “ice burn”. This is done by wrapping icing implement in a damp towel or cloth. Additionally it is important, if icing a joint (knee, elbow, ankle, wrist etc) that the ice is removed briefly every 5 minutes or so, and the joint is moved in pain free range. Due to the cold numbing effects this pain free range may be larger than without ice. If the injury is to the left shoulder it is important that medical attention is sought prior to icing, due to proximity to the heart.
Final Word
Remember if in any doubt seek medical attention. Additionally, if your injury is to the head, neck or back seek medical attention immediately. Start slow, stay low. Train safe, warm up correctly, know your limits and don’t try ambitious moves when in a fatigued state.
More About The Author - Sean Lerwill
Sean is a Royal Marines Commando Physical Training Instructor (PTI) with numerous sports, exercise and fitness qualifications under his belt including; REPs (Register of Exercise Professionals) Advanced Instructor Level 3 (Fitness Manager and Personal Trainer), British Weight Lifting Association (BWLA) Coach, Kettle Bell Instructor, and SAQ (Speed Agility Quickness) diploma. He also has a BSc honours degree in Molecular Genetics from King’s College London. His personal sporting background includes athletics (running), cross country, triathlons, football, rugby and martial arts.
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