Should I apply cold or hot compress if my foot is sprained

Sprained ankle is quite common in life, mainly because we do not pay attention when exercising in life, which leads to foot sprains. This situation will soon lead to symptom of swollen feet. The best way to treat swollen feet is to use ice compress to reduce swelling. If you use hot compress, the blood vessels in the swollen feet will become congested, which will aggravate the condition. Therefore, it is recommended that you should know that when you sprain your foot, it is best to apply ice compress to relieve blood vessel swelling.

What to do if you have a sprain

In daily life, ankle sprains often occur. How should we deal with them?

Some say heat, others say ice, and some say it's too high. Do you really know when to apply heat, when to raise the height, how high to raise, and how long to apply?

Here I will give you some basic knowledge about ankle sprains.

Determine the severity of the injury

If you can stand with your weight and walk with some strength after spraining your foot, it means the sprain is mild and can be treated and recovered at home.

If you suspect a fracture, you should go to the hospital immediately for an X-ray and receive treatment based on the situation.

Judgment method

(1) Pay attention to the location of pain and tenderness, the degree of swelling, and whether the joint is deformed.

(2) Inversion and eversion test: The ankle joint is inverted to check the degree of damage to the lateral ligament (when the foot is inverted, the range of motion of the lateral ankle joint becomes larger or loose). Then the ankle joint is everted to check the degree of damage to the medial ligament.

(3) Anterior drawer test: Hold the upper end of the ankle joint with one hand and push it backwards, while holding the heel with the other hand and pulling it forwards to check whether the range of motion increases (compared with the uninjured side).

(4) If it is only a mild sprain, continue to apply ice and compression bandage, and elevate the affected limb.

Elevation of the injured limb after a sprain

Simple foot sprains can be treated at home.

First of all, you should rest immediately to avoid landing hard on the sprained foot. Resting immediately after the injury can promote faster recovery, reduce pain, bleeding or swelling, and prevent the injury from worsening.

During the sprain period, especially in the early stages, do not walk too early, but lie in bed and rest for a while.

While resting in bed, the injured ankle needs to be elevated to a height at least higher than the waist and above the heart to be effective.

This will reduce swelling and allow the patient to rest.

The difference between cold and hot compresses

Foot compress can be divided into cold compress and hot compress.

Generally, cold compresses are applied within 24 hours of injury to inhibit bleeding and swelling and reduce pain.

Hot compresses can be applied only after 24 hours to improve blood circulation.

Never mix up cold and hot compresses.

Cold compress

Try to apply cold compresses within a few minutes of the sprain. Apply cold compresses with ice packs or cool wet towels.

Cold compresses can constrict blood vessels, reducing internal bleeding, swelling, pain, and cramping.

If you don't have an ice pack, you can soak a towel in cold water and apply it to the sprained foot, or simply put your foot in a half-basin of cold water.

The cold compress time is generally half an hour, and the second cold compress should be applied after a break of one hour.

Heat

You can only apply hot compresses after 24 hours of sprain.

The hot compress method is similar to the cold compress method, but the temperature is just the opposite. Use a hot pack or hot towel to apply directly to the sprained area. You can also use hot vinegar, hot wine, etc. for hot compresses to promote blood circulation, reduce swelling and relieve pain.

The hot compress time should not be too long, twice a day, twenty minutes each time is enough.

Compression bandage after hot compress

You can also apply pressure bandage after hot compress.

First cover the wound with a clean dressing, and then apply pressure to the affected area with your hands, bandages, etc. to slow down the worsening of the injury.

When bandaging, start from a few inches below the wound and work your way up, overlapping in a spiral shape by about half, and gradually wrap evenly with a little pressure. However, keep it loose when passing over the wound to ensure smooth blood circulation to the injured limb.

Observe the color of the exposed toes or fingers. If there are symptoms such as pain, skin discoloration, numbness, tingling, etc., it means that the wrap is too tight and the heavy wrap should be unwrapped.

Drug treatment

After the internal bleeding stops, you can use some external ointments to assist in the recovery of the sprained area, such as Huoxue Powder and Huoxue Paste.

The purpose of external application is to promote blood circulation, remove blood stasis in the affected area, and repair damaged joints and soft tissues. When treating ankle sprains, it can promote blood circulation, remove blood stasis, and promote tendons and blood vessels.

After the hot compress, apply some Yunnan Baiyao or safflower oil. To better achieve the therapeutic effect, you can take some oral medicines at the same time, such as: Panax notoginseng capsules, Shujin Huoxue tablets, etc.