First Aid for Joint Injuries

Joint injuries can be caused by various things, ranging from inappropriate sport posture, sprains or sprains, until the carelessness hit the object. Not only that, according to a survey, about 65 percent of people have back or joint pain, at least once a week.

In the medical world, the term sprains is called sprain and strain which are two types of damage or injury to the soft tissues. However, the two things actually have differences.

Sprain is a joint injury caused by tearing of the ligaments (tissue connecting two or more bones in the joint) and joint capsule. While the strain is an injury to the muscles or tendons (the tissue that connects the muscles to the bone).

A person who has a sprain or strain can experience symptoms of pain, swelling, stiffness, and reduced ability or function moves on the injured body part.

In general, the first treatment for these two conditions can be done by understanding the concept of RICE, ie Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.

1. Rest

Rest painful joints. If a person experiences joint pain due to injury to the joints, it is important to rest the joints for at least 48-72 hours after the injury.

Stop the activity or exercise first and rest your joints. Then observe the swelling or redness in the joints.

2. Ice

Use the ice pack. Injured joints can be compressed using an ice pack immediately, for 10-30 minutes. Ice packs can be made by wrapping ice cubes using plastic or a thin cloth. Then compress on the injured body part.

3. Compression

Give a bandage on the joints. Injured body parts may be bandaged using elastic bandages or other available bandages. This is intended to reduce the swelling process that can occur.

4. Elevation

Perform elevation in joints that feel pain. The joints part of the injury should be positioned higher than other body parts. One way is to put a painful joint on the pillow when sitting or lying down.

In addition to applying some of the above, within 72 hours of an injury, there are some important things to avoid. For example: excessive heat (such as a hot bath, sauna, etc.), alcohol consumption, running, or massage. These things can aggravate the pain and swelling experienced.

In Indonesia, many people treat joint injuries by using balsam or cream that gives the sensation of heat in the pain point. The goal is to ease the pain.

In fact, the action is not enough to cure the pain until it is complete. The pain can come back again, although it has been applied balsam.

In order for a joint injury to fully recover to the source, you can apply Voltaren Emulgel at the pain point. Voltaren Emulgel with diclofenac sodium can help treat the pain completely without causing heat.

After performing first aid on joint injury, it is important to consult a doctor directly, especially when joint pain and other complaints persist. Thus, further evaluation can be made to determine the most appropriate diagnosis and treatment.