Health

How is the initial treatment of sports injuries carried out?

The correct initial measures in the event of an injury at the sports facility  or  at the scene of the accident are crucial. The foot specialist near me set the course for further diagnostics and therapy. The PECH rule is an important guide for initial measures in the event of sports injuries. It describes the four elementary principles of treatment break, ice, compression and elevation.

P – like pause

In the event of an injury, the sporting activity must be stopped, i.e. a break must be taken. If there is a suspicion of a broken bone or joint injury, the affected body region should be immobilized with a splint.

Care should be taken to padding to avoid pressure points. For example,  a wooden spatula can be used for finger injuries  . A triangular scarf can be made from a T-shirt or scarf –  e.g.  to immobilize a shoulder, Collar bone fracture of the upper arm. In the case of neck injuries, a rolled up towel can be used as a temporary neck tie.

foot specialist near me

E – like ice

A sports injury should be carefully cooled early on. The application of cold has many positive effects: It has a pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effect and prevents severe swelling. Small blood vessels contract, reducing bleeding into the injured tissue. The smaller the swelling, the shorter the healing time.

The cooling can take place,  for example,  with ice cubes or ice pulp in a towel, a plastic bag or a sock, which are adjusted to the injured body region and fixed with a bandage. Alternatives are ice water or cool packs as well as cooling gel packs. To avoid local frostbite, they must not come into direct contact with the skin. There is also a risk of local frostbite with so-called cold sprays. The “icing” with the still common chloroethyl is particularly risky.

C – like Compression

Applying a pressure bandage is intended to prevent swelling. The elastic bandage must not be too tight and should always be applied from the periphery of the body towards the middle of the body, for example from the fingertips towards the shoulder. Good combinations of cold therapy and compression are so-called hot ice bandages, cooling cuffs or bandages.

H – like elevation

In the event of injuries to the leg or arm, the elevated position is also intended to counteract further bleeding and thus also the swelling. In addition, the “removal” of fluid in the tissue is facilitated. This means that the foot is positioned above the level of the knee joint  or  the hand above the level of the elbow joint, ideally even higher than the level of the shoulder joint.

Related Articles

Check Also

Close
Close