Ice or heat?

I’ve just sprained my ankle!

A simple ankle sprain can be a pain! and can keep you from doing the simplest things from walking your dog to getting to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Often I am asked about what should be done in the those first early phases of an ankle sprain, or just your standard acute injury, especially whether to use ice or heat? Here is when we come back to First Aid basics. A nice acronym to remember is: PRICED (RICE but with a few extra’s)

PROTECTION: Remove additional danger or risk from injured area, so don’t wear thongs!

REST: Stop using the injured area, and yes this means no marathons at least for a day

ICE: Apply ice to the injured area - this is mostly to help with pain relief, swelling in the ankle is not a bad thing, if anything it says that the healing process has begun as those little macrophages and leucocytes meet in a pool of inflammatory liquid to have a party (heat is used later on in the healing phase when we want good blood flow to the area encouraging tissue to begin remodelling)

COMPRESSION: Apply an elastic compression bandage to the injured area, or a simple wrap is ok too.

ELEVATION: Raise the injured area above the heart, this is about gravity helping to get fluid back into the lymphatic system.

DIAGNOSIS: Acute injuries should be assessed by a health-care professional

Remember to speak up should you injure yourself, so you can receive the best management possible. Early diagnosis and treatment means early recovery and better outcomes in the long term.

All the best

Sam