Sprains
Sprains
You’ve been down the basement steps so many times that you can do it in the dark. Or so you think. Now where is that bottom step? Oops. Stumble, bumble, tumble. There goes your ankle.
In fact, 85 percent of ankle injuries are sprains. A sprain occurs when a sudden impact—stepping off a curb the wrong way or tripping and landing on your hands—damages ligaments, the tough elastic bands that help hold a joint such as the ankle or wrist together.
A sprain can cause painful swelling of the joint and muscle spasms. Elevating the joint, wrapping it in an elastic bandage, applying ice to reduce swelling and resting the injured area are among the first things that most experts recommend you do. The natural remedies in this chapter—in conjunction with medical care and used with your doctor’s approval—may help ease the pain and swelling of a sprain and speed healing, according to some health professionals.
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Acupressure
For an ankle sprain, press point GB 40, situated in the large hollow directly in front of the outer anklebone, says Michael Reed Gach, Ph.D., director of the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley, California, and author of Acupressure’s Potent Points. (To help locate the point, refer to the illustration on page 566.) He says to hold the point on the injured ankle for two minutes: For the first minute, alternate between light and firm pressure, and for the second minute, hold the point with a very light touch. Dr. Gach recommends using this remedy at least twice a day to help heal a sprain. To strengthen your ankle and prevent future injury, press one or both GB 40 points daily, he adds.
Ayurveda
Salt can relieve the swelling that comes with a sprain, says Vasant Lad, B.A.M.S., M.A.Sc., director of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He suggests making a paste of one part salt and two parts turmeric, mixed with enough water to get the right consistency. Apply this paste to the injured area once a day, he says, letting it set for 20 minutes to an hour. He advises covering the paste with cotton flannel or muslin to keep it from rubbing off and to protect your clothing, since turmeric stains. Any skin discoloration from the turmeric should wash off in about two weeks, he adds.
Food Therapy
Foods high in vitamin C help mend collagen, the supportive protein in skin, bones, tendons and cartilage that can become damaged in a sprain, says Julian Whitaker, M.D., founder and president of the Whitaker Wellness Center in Newport Beach, California. For faster relief, Dr. Whitaker recommends eating more vitamin C–rich foods such as oranges, grapefruit, strawberries and peppers. (For other food sources of vitamin C, see “Getting What You Need” on page 142.)
Herbal Therapy
The dried flower heads of the Arnica plant contain chemical compounds that help heal sprains and relieve muscle pain, according to Varro E. Tyler, Ph.D., professor of pharmacognosy at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Look for Arnica tincture, cream or ointment in most health food stores. Apply directly to the injured area as recommended on the label.
Homeopathy
In the first 24 hours after a sprain, take a dose of Arnica 6C to help the pain subside, says Stephen Messer, N.D., dean of the National Center for Homeopathy’s summer school and a naturopathic physician in Eugene, Oregon. If that doesn’t seem to help and your sprain is less painful if you keep the joint moving rather than immobilized, Dr. Messer suggests trying a dose of Rhus toxicodendron 6C. If neither of these remedies works, he says to try a dose of Ruta graveolens 6C. Take any of these remedies as needed, but no more than every two hours, he says.
All of these remedies are available in many health food stores. To purchase the remedies by mail, refer to the resource list on page 637.
Hydrotherapy
A frozen bandage is a great way to ease the pain and swelling, says Agatha Thrash, M.D., a medical pathologist and co-founder and co-director of Uchee Pines Institute, a natural healing center in Seale, Alabama. Dip a hand towel in very cold water, squeeze it out, place it in a plastic bag and store it in the freezer over a piece of cardboard, so the towel freezes flat. To use, remove the plastic and lay the bandage over the sprain. The rigid bandage will quickly become soft as it’s warmed by your body heat. Replace with a fresh bandage when the towel feels warm. Dr. Thrash recommends 20-minute sessions of this treatment two to four times a day for a week or until symptoms subside.
Massage
You can reduce swelling in a sprained joint with a rake massage, says Elliot Greene, past president of the American Massage Therapy Association. Start by placing your hands on either side of the sprained joint. If the joint is on the arm, you’ll be able to use only one hand—the one on the other arm. Spread your fingers about a half-inch apart. Place the fingertips on the part of the joint that is farthest from the heart. If you’re working on your knee, for example, place the fingertips just below the knee, closest to your ankle.
Now pull the fingertips over the joint, applying light pressure. “It’s just like you were running a rake lightly across the joint,” Greene says. When you go past the top of the joint a few inches, lift your hands and place them back at the starting point. You can do this massage for about five minutes at a time, several times a day, until the sprain has healed. But be sure to wait 24 to 48 hours after the sprain has occurred before you start using this massage.
Reflexology
To deal with a sprain, work the reflex points on the hands or feet that correspond to the injured area, says St. Petersburg, Florida, reflexologist Dwight Byers, author of Better Health with Foot Reflexology. If you have a sprained knee, for example, try working the knee reflex points on your feet, he says.
To help you locate these points, consult the hand and foot reflex charts beginning on page 582. For instructions on how to work the points, see “Your Reflexology Session” on page 110.