Sprained wrist treatment
When a person has a strained wrist it means that the ligaments and tendons that are inside their wrist are injured. A sprained wrist can happen in a variety of different ways. One common causes of a sprained wrist is a fall in which the person puts their hand out to try to break it. The weight and the impact of the fall can injure the ligaments in the wrist and hand that was used to try to prevent the fall. People who play a lot of sports and who are very physically active tend to suffer from sprained wrist injuries more often than other people who live a more sedentary lifestyle.
A sprained wrist can be very painful and will result in tenderness and swelling of the entire wrist area. It is good idea to know what the proper sprained wrist treatment is in the event that you or your loved one ever experiences such an injury. Recovering from a sprained wrist can take time and you should get the proper sprained wrist treatment if you ever want to get the full use of your wrist back again. If you get the proper treatment your wrist will recover quicker from a sprain than it would if you ignore proper treatment. If you ignore the best kind of treatment that you can get for sprained wrist you can end up doing more harm than good to your wrist.
The first sprained wrist treatment you should apply is an ice pack to the wrist as soon after as the injury happens as possible. Applying an ice pack to the wrist will help reduce the amount of swelling. Ice will also help numb to the wrist area. You should try to apply the ice from the hand all the way up to the elbow. Do not make the ice wrap too tight as it will cut off circulation. Applying ice is probably the most important initial sprained wrist treatment that you can do for an injury like this.
After the ice pack is properly applied the wrist and arm should then be elevated. You can use pillows to elevate the wrist and arm above heart level. The wrist and arm should be elevated like this for 72 hours or more. As soon as possible after wrist sprain you should go to the doctor or medical advice. Your doctor may want to take x-rays to make sure that your wrist is not broken.
Try to relax your wrist as much as possible and let it rest. The more you do not use your wrist during this time the faster and better your ligaments and tendons can recover. Proper sprained wrist treatment also includes the avoidance of heat at the beginning of the injury. Heat can make the swelling much worse which can cause the pain to increase in the first stages of recovery. It is always best to try to keep your sprained wrist cooler than the rest of your body, at least for the first few days. After this, applying moderate heat to the rest area can actually help. However it should be moist heat and not dry heat. You can use warm wet towels to wrap around your wrist for about 30 minutes at a time. At this point the warm moist heat can help reduce the pain.
You can slowly begin to start using your wrist can after about 3 to 5 days. However you should take it slowly and only use your wrist as long as it is comfortable to do so. If you ignore any pain and use the wrist too early you can re-injure it at this point. It is important to keep proper sprained wrist treatment in mind begin to use your wrist again only when it is ready. Do not immediately try to use it to its full potential. You may have to continue to ice it and use more moist heat wraps for up to two weeks after you have sprained a wrist.
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