Don't Just Massage, Here are 5 Initial Ways to Treat Sprained Feet

Kapanlagi.com - Sprains can generally occur to anyone. Usually, people who often experience sprains are those who are exercising, wearing high-heeled shoes, and accidentally sprained while walking.The joint that most often experiences injury or sprains is usually the ankle foot.

If this happens, it will cause discomfort due to pain and swelling that feels throbbing.The larger the swelling and pain felt, the more severe the level of injury you experience. No wonder you will have difficulty walking because it feels torturous.Sprains themselves are injuries caused by stretching the muscles beyond their normal capacity.

Usually, reflexively when someone experiences a sprain, many of them massage the area that feels painful. However, you need to know that treating sprains by massaging is not the right way. Because, if you massage yourself randomly, it will actually make your sprained ankle worse. This is because you don't really know which blood vessels are problematic.

So, therefore, you need to know the initial way to treat a sprained ankle that you can do yourself before seeking professional help. Instead of being curious, let's take a look at the complete review below.

1. Don't Move the Sprained Foot

How to treat a sprained ankle (credit: freepik)

The first thing you should do when treating a sprained foot is to stay calm and not panic. Furthermore, if you sprain your foot, do not move the injured foot, let alone try to walk. So, you need to rest and protect the muscle area by not engaging in excessive activities. Because if you continue to do so, it will increase the severity of the sprain itself. To treat it, you can use aids such as crutches or a cane to facilitate walking.

2. Ice Compression

The next initial step to treat a sprained ankle is by applying ice compression. Compress the sprained area of the ankle with ice to reduce pain and swelling. You can do this by applying a cold compress to the injured area as soon as possible for 20 to 30 minutes. It is important to avoid direct contact of the ice with the skin. You can repeat this process three times a day until the injury subsides.

3. Special Sprained Ankle Bandage

Use special bandages (credit: freepik)

In addition to compressing the injured area with ice, an initial step you can take is to use a special bandage for the sprained ankle. You can wrap the bandage around the injured area and apply slight pressure. This is useful for reducing swelling. Do not remove the bandage until the swelling disappears.

In addition, you can loosen the bandage slightly if the sprained area turns blue and feels cold. The duration required for this compression process is 1-2 days. However, it can also take up to 2 weeks if you have a severe sprain.

4. Lifting the Sprained Leg

To overcome a sprained leg with first aid, you can support the affected leg to elevate its position above the heart for the first 48 hours. This can reduce swelling.

Here's how: when you're lying down, lift your leg and support it with a higher object. This is to elevate the leg higher than the chest, to help drain fluid from the injured ankle.

5. Things to Avoid

What to avoid when sprained (credit: freepik)

If you experience an injury for two days, besides following the above method, you should also avoid certain things such as soaking in hot water, using a sauna, or applying heat patches. In addition, you should refrain from consuming alcohol as it can increase bleeding and swelling, which slows down the recovery process. Avoid engaging in physical activities like running that can worsen the injury, and avoid massaging the injured area as it can increase the risk of bleeding and swelling.

These are some initial ways to treat a sprained leg that you can do for first aid. Hopefully, it's helpful.

(kpl/dtm)