What are they?
A strain is an injury to muscles and tendons. Tendons are the rope like structures that connect muscles to bones. Usually from over use, these can take days to a week to recover from.
A sprain is an injury to the ligaments or capsule of a joint. The ligaments and joint capsule are the structures that hold the bones together across joints in the body. These can take 5-6 weeks or more to recover from.
Ligaments can at times heal slower than bone.
A fracture is commonly where the periosteum (covering) of the bone or the bone itself is broken. These can take 6 or more weeks to heal.
When any of these injuries occur the body will work hard to initiate the healing process quickly. By first immobilising the area using muscle tightening, then send lots of blood and fluid to the area to start the healing process, this causes swelling which is what we call inflammation. Pain is caused as pain receptors in the tissues are affected by the inflammatory response. Sometimes this response can be out of proportion to the situation and too much inflammation occurs, especially in lower limbs.
Pain is your body’s way of asking you to take some action to help it.
Even if that action is simply resting. Your body is always trying to do its best to help you, even if it does not feel like it.
What to expect if I have a sprain, strain or fracture?
Pain (potentially a lot of pain), swelling, bruising, reduced mobility, weakness.
If you suspect a fracture, or you can not move a joint, bear weight, the area goes blue very quickly, have numbness or pain directly over the bone, then it is time to attend a hospital and get checked. You can always take remedies on your way to the hospital, to help reduce the pain and start the healing process.
How can I help myself?
There are several things you can do to help. First I will explain homeopathic remedies, then solutions we use in my Bowen clinic.
What is the aim of homeopathy in this situation?
Homeopathy will help support your bodies natural processes in healing as quickly and thoroughly as possible. Whilst at the same time helping to reduce the pain you experience.
Some key remedies to help
Arnica – A number one for injuries! The pain means you do not want the area touched by anyone or anything. It will help with the bruising, swelling/ inflammation and therefore the pain. It can also help with the shock from injuring yourself. If you suspect a fracture, it can safely be used on the way to the hospital.
Bellis Perennis – Like Arnica, for the bruising, pain and inflammation but deeper into the tissues and the area feels tight and stiff. If you have injured yourself from constant over use and you feel better for rubbing or applying heat to the area, then this remedy could help you. Also if Arnica has not quite worked.
Bryonia – If the area you have injured is so sore you feel you don’t want to move it in anyway, and need to hold the affected area or bandage it up for support. The pain may be sharp and you generally want to avoid company. Bryonia could be your friend. (It works well with Arnica on the way to hospital).
Rhus Tox – When the injury feels very still as you first start to move it, like a rusty hinge, but as you get going it feels better, until you have done too much and it starts to hurt again. It can be difficult to get comfortable with this remedy leading you to fidget around. You may crave a hot bath or hot water bottle for the area and it will ache in the cold and wet. Mainly a remedy for helping heal ligament and tendon injuries.
Ruta Grav – Another wonderful ligament and tendon remedy especially if that ligament or tendon has been over used somewhat. There may be a sharp shooting pain in the joint, and you will want to rub or put heat on the area. Again it will be worse when you first move.
Ledum – With this remedy you will wish to put cold on the area to make it feel better. Also use it when the affected joint feels swollen, but cold, numb, and may turn blue.
Symphytum – Use for fractures once the hospital has confirmed everything is in the right place or the bone has been set. Symphytum (called knit bone) will help the ends of the bone join back together.
Calc Phos – A remedy known as a tissue salt that promotes healing, strength and integrity of bone. Useful when the area feels worse in the cold damp and better in the warmth. Often also used for fast growing children with growing pains.
If these indicated remedies do not help or if healing is slower than expected it will be worth seeing a homeopath for a full consultation. www.clarehunterseimens.co.uk
What else can you do to help yourself?
Rest is essential, get your weight off the area.
Movement – Non weighbearing movement is helpful to aid recovery and prevent the damaged soft tissue from healing shorter or tighter than before.
Compression – if this feels good and supportive. Remember to use an elasticated bandage or support stocking. Take care not to over tighten and to remove regularly.
Bowen, Chiropractic and Laser can all help, we use them along side homeopathy in our clinic. They help to encourage the body into healing mode, help the rest of the body with any compensations that may be developing. The laser can help encourage the mitochondria of the cells to speed up the healing and quality of healing.
Alternating warm and cold applications can help the healing process providing they feel good for you. The warm applications encourage healing blood flow to the area, then following it with cold applications encourages, the blood away from the area to stop swelling get too excessive. This process can be repeated 4 times hourly for 5 minutes each.
In the very first instance of the injury RICE – rest, ice, compression and elevation will help in the early stages by reducing the level of swelling, especially in lower limb situations where it is harder for the body to remove the swelling.
After the very early stages, continued ice/ cold applications will slow the healing process down as it works by restricting blood flow to the area. The Dr who came up with the RICE process recommended it in the event of a skiing accident to get people off the ski slopes as quickly as possible with as little pain as possible. He is known to have regretted that the RICE became part of mainstream first aid.
Ice with care and, in the early stages only
If there is an phase of your recovery that seems to get stuck, and doesn’t respond to these suggestions or remedies then it is time to see a professional for specialist advice.
I offer Homeopathy, Bowen, Superpulsed Laser and access to my husband, the Chiropractor.
www.clarehuntersiemens.co.uk or ring/text on 07977511217