Oxygen USA — September-October 2017

74 oxygenmag.com

Infl ammation Is

Actually Your Friend

A common response

to a painful injury is

reaching for the bottle

of nonsteroidal anti-

infl ammatory 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

fi rst-line therapy

since they block in-

fl ammation,” Naresh

Rao says. “Infl am-

mation is the body’s

healing response, so

I do not want to in-

hibit that process. I

will generally sug-

gest acetaminophen

fi rst for pain control,

and if the pain is

not well-controlled,

then I will go with

anti-infl ammatories

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 fl exion), contract the

foot upward (dorsifl exion).

Ice for 24 to 48 hours.

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

help decrease stiff ness.

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

For tension headaches, use a moist heat source like a

shower with a massage head for 20 minutes.

Ice for 24 to 48 hours to decrease pain associated with

infl ammation.

Heat increases pliability of the soft tissues surrounding

the joint.

Cramps

(such as charley

horses)

Pulled

muscles

Sprains

Lower-back

pain

Headache

Tendonitis

Arthritis

Injury Heat Ice Tips