Ouch! Understanding Sprain Treatment | AFC Urgent Care Memphis

Let’s face it. A sprain is no fun, no matter what area of the body is affected, which is why our team at AFC Urgent Care Memphis wants to help you get your injury treated as soon as possible.

Don’t Spend Your Summer in Pain

Sprains are very common. In fact, more than 1 million ankle injuries occur each year—and about 85 percent of them are diagnosed as sprains.

When sprains occur over and over again in the same area (like the ankle or knee), it can lead to arthritis, as well as a number of other issues due to the repetitive injury. Therefore, it is important to treat not only the injury, but prevent another injury from occurring, too!

Symptoms of a Sprain

The first key to treating a sprain injury is to recognize the signs of a sprain, which are:

  • Sudden, sharp pain that stops you from moving
  • Inability to put weight on the injury
  • Pain that is isolated to a certain part on your body where the injury occurred
  • Swelling or bruising at place of injury

If all signs point to a sprain, then it’s time to take action.

The R.I.C.E. Method

To help treat a sprain, you want to follow the R.I.C.E. method, which has been shown as effective for treating minor sprains.

Rest

When a sprain occurs, you want to avoid any activity that is causing you pain to help promote faster healing.

Ice

Ice can help to significantly reduce pain and swelling when a sprain occurs. However, you want to make sure you place a cloth in between the ice and your skin to help prevent injury. Limit icing to no more than 15 to 20 minutes every couple hours.

Compress

In order to help reduce swelling, stabilize the joint injured by using an elastic bandage to wrap it snugly. If numbness or tingling occurs, you have wrapped it too tightly and need to loosen the bandage.

Elevate

You want to keep your injury elevated above your heart to keep swelling to a minimum.

If basic, at-home treatment isn’t alleviating your symptoms, seek medical attention. Come visit AFC Urgent Care Memphis for a thorough examination, diagnosis and treatment.