Oxygen Australia — January-February 2018

108 Jan/Feb 2018 oxygenmag.com.au

Inflammation is

actually your friend

A common response

to a painful injury is

to reach for the bottle

of nonsteroidal anti-

inflammatory drugs

(NSAIDs) in your medi-

cine cabinet. But could

it be doing more harm

THE BEST WAY TO TREAT AN INJURY

than good? “I gener-

ally do not recom-

mend NSAIDs as

first-line therapy

since they block in-

flammation,” Dr Rao

says. “Inflammation

is the body’s healing

response, so I do not

want to inhibit that

process. I will gen-

erally suggest acet-

aminophen first for

pain control, and if

the pain is not well-

controlled, then I will

go with anti-inflam-

matories for three

days, or as needed.”

Apply moist heat with a massage and stretching. Con-

tracting the opposite muscle should relax the cramped

muscle. For a calf cramp, for example, since the calf

moves the foot downward (plantar flexion), contract the

foot upward (dorsiflexion).

Ice for 24 to 48 hours.

Ice for 24 to 48 hours, then apply heat, as needed, to

help decrease stiffness.

If acute, use ice. If chronic, use heat.

For tension headaches, use a moist heat source such as

a shower with a massage head for 20 minutes.

Ice for 24 to 48 hours to decrease pain associated with

inflammation.

Heat increases pliability of the soft tissues surrounding

the joint.

Cramps

(such as charley

horses)

Pulled

muscles

Sprains

Lower-back

pain

Headache

Tendonitis

Arthritis