Here are some of the most catastrophic injuries that you may sustain:

The authors concluded “these results do not support the use of cryotherapy during recovery.” Not only has topical cooling (ice) been proven to be an ineffective method for recovery of tissues, it has also been proven to delay the healing process and produce additional damage.

If you’ve ever hurt your ankle or had another type of sprain or strain, chances are your doctor recommended rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE) as one of your first treatments. The RICE method is a simple self-care technique that helps reduce swelling, ease pain, and speed up healing.

• Traumatic brain injuries.
• Spinal cord and neck injuries.
• Broken bones.
• Internal organ damage.
• Amputations.

There are basically two types of injuries: acute injuries and overuse injuries. Acute injuries are usually the result of a single, traumatic event. Common examples include wrist fractures, ankle sprains, shoulder dislocations, and hamstring muscle strain.

RICE stands for: Rest: Avoiding use of the injured area. Ice: Applying ice packs or bags of frozen vegetables to the area, without them touching the skin directly. Compression: Wrapping the injured area with an elastic bandage to provide support, reduce blood flow, and limit swelling.

Swelling is a normal reaction of the body to an injury. Sometimes the body goes overboard and the swelling response is excessive. When this happens it can actually begin to cause more harm than good.

It’s a natural part of healing and allows immune cells to better access the injured area. Though inflammation can be positive, to an extent, it can also get out of hand and cause debilitating swelling and pain. Ice reduces swelling and inflammation.

Compression Applying pressure to an injury helps reduce swelling by restricting the flow of blood and other fluids. You can apply compression with static bandages, elastic bandages, or cold and compression devices.

“Compression socks or stockings work by keeping the swelling down.” In addition, this reduced swelling “allows increased blood flow to muscles and joints,” says Cary Zinkin, DPM, a podiatric physician and spokesperson for the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA).

Many individuals find that wearing a foot sleeve, knee sleeve, or leg sleeve helps to reduce their soreness and stiffness. For arthritis sufferers who experience significant swelling of the joints, a leg compression sleeve is an excellent option to reduce swelling while providing maximum give and movement for the toes.

Studies confirm these treatments are ineffective for arthritis pain. Magnet therapy or wearing copper jewelry may seem attractive for easing your arthritis pain simply and inexpensively. But studies confirm these treatments are ineffective for arthritis pain.

Commonly used arthritis medications include:

• Painkillers. These medications help reduce pain, but have no effect on inflammation.
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
• Counterirritants.
• Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).
• Biologic response modifiers.
• Corticosteroids.

Turmeric is a staple of traditional Chinese and Indian (Ayurvedic) medicine and a prime ingredient in curries. Claims: Reduces pain, inflammation and stiffness related to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA); treats bursitis.

“A doctor should know about it; it should not be done over the phone.” In addition, Dr. Hogan says there’s no data that braces with copper provide better pain relief, so skip those.

If worn consistently, a knee brace can offer some stability and increase your confidence in your knee. Some evidence suggests that knee braces can help reduce symptoms and improve function in people who have knee osteoarthritis.

It is thought that knee compression sleeves help alleviate knee pain because of an increase in proprioception. Simply placing a sleeve on your knee can improve not only your pain but it can improve your sense of stability that many arthritic patients loose.

In addition to weight loss and strengthening, anti-inflammatory medications may help decrease symptoms. Over-the-counter, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) include aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil) and Naprosyn (Aleve). Prescription-strength NSAIDs include Indocin, Daypro, Relafen, Celebrex, Lodine and Mobic.

The explanation that you may have been given is that hyaluronic acid injections will provide a gel-like cushion in your knee, getting between the shin and thigh bones to alleviate your bone on bone situation. The injections increase the volume of the protective synovial fluid in the knee.

Biological treatments, such as etanercept and infliximab, are a newer form of treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. They’re usually taken in combination with methotrexate or another DMARD, and are usually only used if DMARDs have not been effective on their own. Biological medicines are given by injection.

Hydroxychloroquine. Hydroxychloroquine is an antimalarial drug which is relatively safe and well-tolerated agent for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

The newest drugs for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis are the Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, which are FDA approved under the brand names Rinvoq, Olumiant, and Xeljanz.