| Your muscular and skeletal systems have | | | | 2. Ice. Ice is the most effective treatment for |
| remarkable jobs. From everyday tasks like typing | | | | reducing inflammation, pain, and swelling of injured |
| to dramatic athletic feats like windsurfing and | | | | muscles, joints, and connective tissues-such as |
| gymnastics, your muscles and bones perform day | | | | tendons, ligaments and bursas. The cold helps |
| after day and year after year. Although you may | | | | keep blood and fluid from building up in the injured |
| complain about the aches and pains that come | | | | area, reducing pain and swelling. Apply ice as soon |
| with aging, you are lucky to have a | | | | as possible after injury, even if you are going |
| musculoskeletall system that signals when you | | | | straight to the doctor. To speed recovery and |
| have pushed too hard. | | | | ease pain, raise the injured area and apply ice for |
| Your primary care doctor (pediatrician, family | | | | 20 minutes (10 to 15 minutes in children) every 2 |
| practitioner, or internal medicine specialist) can | | | | to 3 hours while awake. For the best results, use |
| offer advice and treatment for most muscle and | | | | crushed ice in a moist towel as an ice pack. Use |
| joint problems. If your condition is very hard to | | | | an elastic bandage to hold the pack in place. During |
| handle, your primary doctor may involve other | | | | the first 48 to 72 hours, or as long as there is |
| medical providers who specialize in those | | | | any swelling, don not apply heat to an injury. Heat |
| problems, such as physicians, physical therapist, | | | | increases blood flow to the affected area, which |
| orthopedists, or sports medicine specialists. | | | | makes swelling and pain worse. |
| Whether it's your shoulder, ankle, or some joint in | | | | 3. Compress. Between icings, wrap the injured |
| between, pain in or around joints has similar | | | | area with an elastic bandage to help control |
| causes and treatments throughout the body. Of | | | | swelling and provide support. Begin wrapping at |
| course, a broken bone will cause pain and limit | | | | the farthest point away from the body and wrap |
| movement, but more often joint pain and limited | | | | toward the heart. For example, to wrap an ankle |
| mobility are caused by an injury to muscles, | | | | you would begin at the toes and wrap to the |
| ligaments, or connective tissue. Knowing what | | | | mid-calf. Don't sleep with the wrap on, unless told |
| happened before the pain started gives you an | | | | to do so by a doctor. And don't wrap too tightly! |
| important clue to the problem. | | | | If the wrap begins to cause pain or numbness, or |
| With a few exceptions, the RICE (Rest, Ice, | | | | if toes are cool or white, remove the elastic |
| Compress, and Elevate) method explained below | | | | bandage and wrap it more loosely. |
| will reduce pain and help speed recovery of joint | | | | 4. Elevate. Raising the injured area above your |
| and muscle pains. | | | | heart will allow gravity to help reduce welling by |
| 1. Rest. For most injuries, rest the area until the | | | | draining excess fluid. At night, place a pillow under |
| pain stops. For simple sore muscles, however, | | | | the area to support and raise it. |
| gentle stretching will reduce stiffness more quickly. | | | | Now those are the most important muscle and |
| Hold the stretch for 30 to 60 seconds, then rest | | | | joint pain relief measures to do. Make use of such |
| and repeat 5 to 10 times. Do this several times a | | | | useful tips when in pain to get relief in no time. |
| day. | | | | |