another installment of self-help therapies

Hello, good people! Welcome to another installment of self help therapies. Last week, I wrote  some ideas to help alleviate basic muscles soreness... this week’s blog is a more injury-specific continuation on that theme.

Water therapy for an injured ankle . . .

Ever roll your ankle? Hurts, right? What about an ankle sprain? OUCH! Depending on the severity, you could have some major soft tissue damage. Everyone knows for an acute injury like this you apply ice and elevate and get to the doctor right away. But, what about after you get home? Armed with a prescription for pain killers, muscle relaxers and instructions to rest the ankle there’s not much else to do. Right? Wrong. Two 5-gallon buckets, ice, water and 30 minutes of your time you will be up and running sooner than you thought.
Here’s what you do:

• Fill one of the buckets with a bag of ice and water
• Fill the other with very warm water — not boiling, but warmer than warm
  make sure you allow for water displacement of your ankle in both buckets
• Place a towel nearby
• Sit in a straight-backed chair, placing the buckets side by side in front of you
  Make sure you secure yourself somewhere the kids and neighbors won’t hear your screams of profanity
• Plunge the hurt ankle into the bucket with ice, and leave it there for one minute
• Then place it in the warmer water for three minutes
  Repeat this back and forth process until you see your ankle turn red

Cold feet, hot feet

I know how this must sound but, seriously, you want your ankle to turn red. When it does, it is a signal that your body is responding to the temperature change by making the capillary vessels pulse. This pulsing allows rapid fluid exchange and will reduce the swelling quickly. This process turns your ankle and lower leg red, but the end result is less swelling, less pain, and faster healing. Overall, this should take about 15 minutes or less — the extra 15 minutes is for you to regain your composure and dry off.

The waiting game

Perform this treatment twice a day until your ankle begins to feel better. Depending on the injury, this could take as little time as a few days or as much time as over a week. The end result is always faster healing. If you have any questions, shoot me an email or give me a call.

Okay, good people. Get back out there, have fun and be careful. Don’t roll your ankle.

peace and love
chuck