Injury First Aid

Follow the advise of your doctor.

These instructions are supplemental.
Chronic injuries may require physical therapy after doctor's diagnosis.
R.I.C.E. Treatment
R est, Ice, Compression, Elevation
First aid for strains, sprains, contusions, dislocations, or uncomplicated fractures
o Rest
Stop using injured part
Continued activity could cause further injury, delay healing,
increase pain, and stimulate bleeding
se crutches to avoid bearing weight on injuries of the leg, !nee,
an!le, or foot
se splint for injuries of the arm, elbow, wrist, or hand
o Ice
"astens healing time by reducing swelling around injury
Sudden cold contracts blood vessels
"elps stop internal bleeding from injured capillaries and blood
vessels
#eep damp or dry cloth between s!in and ice pac!
$o not apply ice for longer than %& to '( minutes at a time
For ) days after injury
*pply every hour for %( to '( minutes
*pply ice after ) days as long as pain or inflammation persist
*pply at least ) times throughout the day for %& to '( minutes
o Compression
"astens healing time by reducing swelling around injury
$ecreases seeping of fluid into injured area from adjacent
tissue
se elastici+ed bandage, compression sleeve, or cloth
,rap injured part firmly
$o not impair blood supply
Too tight of compression may cause more
swelling
,rap over ice
-oosen the bandage if it gets too tight
o Elevation
.levate injured part above level of heart
$ecreases swelling and pain
se objects and pillows for props
o Some te/ts advocate 012C.S 3040rotection, S4Support5
Medication
Some doctors may recommend the use of a non6steroid anti6inflammatory such as
ibuprofen through out the duration of the injury.
Chec! with your physician.
Heat Treatment
Causes delay in healing if applied too soon after an injury
o ,ait at least 7' hours 3) days5
o ,ait until swelling is gone
o Some e/perts recommend going bac! and forth between cold and heat
treatments.
Management of Inflammation
decrease healing time
decrease scare tissue formation
o decrease chances of reinjury
Recovery
There will be a prolonged healing time if usual activities are resumed too soon
0roper care and sufficient healing time before resuming activity should prevent
permanent disability if it is a first time injury.
2f it is a repeat injury, complications are more li!ely to occur.
Strain
2njury to the muscle or tendon. 0ain with moving or stretching the affected muscle or muscle
spasms. *cute strains are caused by over stress or direct injury. Chronic strains are caused by
overuse.
8ild strain 39rade 25:
o Slightly pulled muscle with no tearing of muscle or tendon. ;o loss of strength
o *bility to produce strong yet painful muscle contractions
o 1equires self care through rehabilitation after doctor's diagnosis
o *verage healing time: ' to %( days
8oderate strain 39rade 225:
o Tearing of muscle, tendon or at the bone attachment
o ,ea! and painful attempts at muscular contraction
o 1equires physical therapy after doctor's diagnosis
o *verage healing time: %( days to < wee!s
Severe strain 39rade 2225:
o 1upture of muscle6tendon6bone attachment with separation
o ./tremely wea! yet painless attempts at muscular contraction
o 1equires surgical repair and physical therapy after doctor's diagnosis
o *verage healing time: %< to %( wee!s
Sprain
=iolent overstretching of ligament in a joint. 0ain, tenderness, swelling or bruising at joint.
8ild strain 39rade 25:
o Tearing of some ligament. ;o loss of function
o 1equires self care through rehabilitation after doctor's diagnosis
o *verage healing time: ' to < wee!s
8oderate strain 39rade 225:
o 1upture of portion of ligament resulting in some loss of function
o 1equires physical therapy after doctor's diagnosis
o *verage healing time: < to > wee!s
Severe strain 39rade 2225::
o Complete rupture of ligament or complete separation of ligament from bone. *
sprain6fracture occurs when the ligament pulls loose a fragment of bone
%? @oint surfaces displaced )6& mm
'? @oint surfaces displaced <6%( mm
%? @oint surfaces displaced %(? mm
o 1equires surgical repair and physical therapy after doctor's diagnosis
o *verage healing time: > to %( wee!s
Injury Information
*cute 3traumatic injury5
Chronic 3overuse injury5
o *ccount for more than &(A of injuries in primary care practices
o Classification Stages:
%. 0ain after activity only
'. 0ain during activity. $oes not restrict performance
). 0ain during activity. 1estricts performance
B. Chronic persistent pain, even at rest
See a qualified physician if you have an injury. Cnly a physician can give diagnosis and
prescription for injury. .ducate yourself about your injury. See medical lin!s. Cne starting place
on the internet is the 8erc! 8anual's Crthopedic 2njuries. * medline or 0ub8ed search can give
you ideas about your condition and therapeutic modalities. Several medline lin!s can be found on
the ./1/.net. * university library will provide a wealth of information. Dou may not be able to
chec!out resources if you are not a student, but you can read and copy materials.