Table of contents:
- Why do leg sprains occur?
- Why is it better to see a doctor after a foot sprain?
- Treatment of foot sprains by a doctor
- How can you reduce the risk of sprains?
Those of you who often exercise, soccer in general, must be unfamiliar with the name sprain. Yes, it doesn't feel like a painful sprain, especially a leg sprain. So the legs cannot be used for normal activities. There are various effects, some are swollen, the road is limping, and they have to use a stick.
In Indonesia, in general, if a leg sprained, the first aid that is done is to take yourself to a massage therapist, although some have gone to the doctor. So, when you sprained your leg, can you actually take it to a massage therapist, or do you still have to see a doctor? Let's look at the explanation of the following sprain healing options.
Why do leg sprains occur?
The cause of sprains can occur due to excessive activity, which causes the muscles to become inflamed, torn, and swollen. Sprains are very common in the wrists, ankles, and knuckles. Common symptoms of sprains are swelling, pain and redness in the skin.
When sprained, it actually stretches the ligaments (connective tissue), causing partial tearing or stretching of muscles and tendons (connective tissue that connects muscles to bones), causing an inflammatory reaction. Sprains most commonly occur in ankles, wrists, and knuckles. Symptoms that often appear are pain, swelling, the skin looks red, and of course it will interfere with the function of the body part that is sprained.
Why is it better to see a doctor after a foot sprain?
As a form of healing, many people prefer to massage the sprained area. Massaging for sprained legs cannot be done carelessly, in fact there are some cases where it is not recommended to do massage. If it's a little wrong, the condition will worsen.
Should it be sorted? In the medical world, this is actually not recommended, because when a muscle, ligament or tendon is traumatized, sequencing will only aggravate the trauma and the inflammatory process that occurs.
Treatment of foot sprains by a doctor
If taken to the doctor, the following treatments will be recommended for the sprained leg:
- The condition of the foot or the part that is sprained is checked, a diagnosis is made. The doctor will recommend resting for a while because excessive activity on the sprain will lead to further complications, for example a torn ligament will get worse.
- The doctor will apply a cold compress with ice in the case of a recent sprain. Because when the injury occurs there will be a tear of the blood vessel which results in the release of the "contents" of the blood vessel into the surrounding tissue which triggers swelling, the blood vessels also widen in response to inflammation. The application of an ice pack aims to "constrict" the dilated blood vessels, thereby reducing swelling. The doctor will do the compress for about 20 minutes, no more. Because if it is too long it will also interfere with blood flow.
- In the next medical treatment, the sprained leg will be pressed and wrapped with an elastic bandage to reduce swelling. In the bandage, the doctor will not tie it tightly, so that blood flow is not interrupted which can actually hinder the healing process.
- The doctor will recommend removing the injured part, so that it is higher than the anatomy of the heart. For example, if your ankle is injured, it can be propped up with a pillow high above your heart to reduce the swelling process.
After the above process is done, we just have to wait for 3-5 days later the swelling will reduce itself. As for the selection of pain medication, there are several opinions which state that these drugs will actually inhibit the natural process of healing because the inflammatory reaction is the body's natural reaction in the healing process itself. But back to the doctor's policy and the patient's condition, if it is deemed necessary because the patient is in pain, it can be given by prescription.
In addition to the treatment above, in more severe sprains it would be better to check with your doctor to make sure there is a fracture condition so that help can be done.
How can you reduce the risk of sprains?
The following steps can help reduce the risk of sprains, namely:
- Warm up before doing strenuous exercise or activity.
- Wear elastic joint protectors or dressings when doing strenuous physical activity.
- Do regular stretching exercises to maintain strength and flexibility of muscles and joints.
- Apply a healthy diet to maintain an ideal body weight and walk can be balanced
- Avoid exercising or doing activities when you are tired or sick.
- Always choose to walk on a level surface.
