Emergency treatment for injury: after ice application, first stop walking, sports or labor, do not let the injured joint bear weight again, and then ice application in time.
Why should we apply cold compress instead of hot compress? Hot compress can relax tendons and promote blood circulation, but when we are just injured, the tissue is bleeding (the skin is not damaged, the bleeding of the internal capillary rupture is also bleeding, and sometimes the problem is more serious). At this time, if the hot compress, the blood circulation is promoted, there will be more bleeding and exudation, and the damage will be aggravated.
But if the ice is applied too long, it will promote blood circulation. Because when the temperature just drops, the capillaries will contract reactively, resulting in the decrease of blood circulation. After a period of time, in order to protect itself from frostbite, the tissue will reflexively expand blood vessels and increase the blood flow of local tissue.
So the ice time is about 15-20 minutes each time, and the ice time interval is 1-2 hours. After the pain is not obvious, ice once every 2-3 hours. If the damage is very light and small, the time and times of ice application can be less.
If there is no special ice bag, it can be made from local materials. For example, buy a bottle of iced drink and pour it into a plastic bag to be used as an ice bag; or pour it directly onto a towel handkerchief and apply ice directly after it is cooled; when playing in the wild, you can directly soak it in the water in a stream or river.
If ice pack is so useful, is there no need for hot pack? No! There is no contradiction between ice pack and hot pack. In the early stage of acute injury, ice compress is needed, but the existing hematoma and inflammation depend on heat compress to promote the circulation of blood and lymph, and take away the inflammatory substances and congestion, so as to get better faster. Generally, ice compress can be changed into hot compress and physical therapy after 1-3 days according to the degree of injury. In the same day, if both ice and hot compress are needed, the interval should be at least 3-5 hours.