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Continue to take arnica (once an hour day 1, down to 3 times a day from about day 3) and apply arnica cream or other anti-inflammatory agent. Keep moving the joint as much as possible within your pain threshold. Stroke the damaged area, towards your heart with gentle strokes, they will need to be very light to begin with. You may not be able to touch the area at all for 24 hours. If this is the case massage from immediately above the painful area towards the heart as this will still provide assistance to the damaged area. Begin to stretch it and test what it can do - as soon as you can do so without pain preventing you. After about 3 days seek remedial massage treatment. If the injury is severe probably all that can be done is flushing strokes, but that is fine, removal of the damaged cells and encouraging the blood and lymph flow is the most beneficial thing at this stage. When you begin to run again wear a support bandage for the first few outings, but begin running without it too to strengthen your muscles.
Seek medical advice if the pain does not begin to subside after resting for 24 hours, if the ankle turns very dark purple, if there is a bunch of muscle in a big lump in the hamstrings, or if the pain is next to the bone rather than in the centre of the muscle. Professional remedial massage or sports massage will ensure that all areas of damage are discovered and dealt with to prevent build-up of injured tissue and repeat injuries at the same site. | ||
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CATHERINE HOLLAND Tel: 0701 7415310 Email: catherine@catherineholland.co.uk | |
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