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Injury Treatment: The Acute Phase |
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.
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Out Of Commission |
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. (see pic)
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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.
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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.
Disclaimer
All of the information contained within these articles on the Urbanfreeflow.com
website are provided for informational and
educational purposes. This includes any videos, fitness
programs, fitness workouts and general articles.
In no event shall Urban Freeflow or any individual or company
involved with the development of these articles be liable for
special, indirect, incidental or consequential damages of any
nature, including but not limited to personal injury, loss of
anticipated profits or claims from third parties.
If you are unsure about your fitness levels, please consult
with a doctor before you carry out any exercises demonstrated here.
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