These tips are applicable to a Sports injury or any injury, both minor or major which took place during the routine day to day life. A minor injury means that the X-ray has confirmed about no bone is fractured.

Consider a basic rule-

The process of healing starts as soon as the injury takes place, be it just a tiny cut while working in the kitchen, a concussion due to fall, a rollover sort of head injury on the head of a crawling baby or a slip in the bathroom.

Repeat-Rule out fracture by X-ray if swelling/pain is unbearable.

1) Never give hot fomentation through a heating pad or through any other means for 1st 24 hours. 

  • In rural areas, people do tend to put a heated brick on the injured area.
  • Reason for not giving hot fomentation during first few hours, being not to increase internal bleeding.
  • Injured tissue remains raw for few hours and tends to bleed more because of heat.
  • Heat therapy does help after 24 hours. Heat takes away tenderness and swellings, reducing the dose of painkillers.

2) Through reflex we tend to put the injured finger under the running water of tap if we cut /scrap a finger while cutting vegetables, bleeding stops, healing process starts and if the wound is not too deep, just putting together the edges with the help of a Bandaid is enough.

  • While playing in a field a sportsperson too can have tiny cuts.
  • We Must Use Cold Compressors only for first few hours to help the wound get back together and to lessen the feeling of pain.

3) Hairline fractures on fingers and toes do not need a plaster.

  • Just strap the two fingers together after cleaning & bandaging the wounded finger/toe.
  • Idea is to give rest to the wounded area for proper healing.

4) Rest- any injury heals better if it is not fiddled with a lot too many times. If bandaged once, there is no need to remove the bandage if it is clean and there is no oozing of blood seen/felt by the person.

As a routine, if the wound is clean, there is no need for antibiotics or a shot of injection Tetanus.

5) Doctor takes the blood for testing blood sugar to be sure that the person is not Diabetic ( healing takes longer time in Diabetics)

  • Every blood test is a Deliberate INJURY.
  • The blood vessel tends to heal on its own, only if the injured area is not given heat to take away the slight pain, or the arm /hand is not left hanging loose. Yes, we do come across bruises after a routine blood test. It confirms our fears when on questioning the person admits to having used a hot pad on 'injured' area as it might have been painful.
  • The arm should be put on a higher platform, preferably up, touching across the opposite shoulder.