When you wound or injured yourself and it swells up, turns red, and hurts, it may be a sign of inflammation. Inflammation is the body’s immune system's response to harmful stimuli, including bacteria or virus, an irritant from a foreign object such as a splinter in your finger, or actual tissue damage when you sprain your ankle.

Inflammation is not at all harmful...

When we hurt ourselves, our bodies produce an inflammatory reaction by opening up our blood vessels to enhance blood supply and allow immune cells and fluids to ooze into the injured tissue to stimulate repair. When our bodies detect an intruder, it tries to protect itself by removing it or countering its effects and beginning the healing process. But this doesn’t mean that inflammation only starts to occur when a wound or injury has already infected or healed poorly. It starts immediately once it recognizes a harmful threat and tries to fight it.

What are the Types of Inflammation? - Acute Versus Chronic Inflammation

When you cut yourself, your immune system releases white blood cells to the area to prevent infection and speed up the healing process. This, however, doesn’t only apply to an open wound but also occurs with an injury like, for instance, sustaining an ankle sprain. Your body develops an inflammatory response to prevent aggravation of the injury and to initiate repair. This is acute inflammationand, in this case, is good because it protects your body. This is the type of inflammation where most people are familiar with because of the signs of redness, warmth, swelling, pain,and loss of function.

THE CARDINAL SIGNS OF INFLAMMATION

• Calor (heat or warmth)

• Rubor (redness)

• Dolor (pain)

• Tumour (swelling)

• Functio laesa (loss of function)

Redness and heat are caused by increased blood flow, while swelling results from the accumulation of fluid and release of white blood cells. The release of pain substancesand the compression of surrounding nerves cause pain. Both pain and swelling serve a protective mechanism, keeping you from using the injured part and prevent further injury, while white blood cells defends the body against infection.

In contrast, when inflammation extends for a long time, it becomes bad and may lead to deleterious effects as the immune system keeps on fighting indefinitely, even attacking the body’s own tissues. This is chronic inflammation  where the immune system continuously releases white blood cells that prolongs the repair and healing process. Although inflammation plays a critical role in the repair of all injuries, any interruption or extension of this healing process may lead to non-healing, improper healing, and/or prolonged healing. For example, inflammation sets the stage for ankle sprain healing. If this stage is interfered with, healing of the ruptured ligaments does not progress, and ligaments may form randomly disorganized tissue orientation, which can make your ankle becomes extremely weak that you may often experience repeated ankle sprain injury even if the original ankle sprain is already healed.

What are the Treatments for Inflammation?

Depending on the type of inflammation, your doctor may prescribe treatments that either remove the cause of inflammation, manage its symptoms or both. You may be given an antibiotic or anti-viral treatment to address the inflammation that is caused by either bacteria or viruses. If you sprained your ankle or pulled your hamstrings and it got inflamed, you may be treated with anti-inflammatory medications such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs. This, however, doesn’t remove the cause but rather relieves the symptoms of inflammation, especially the pain and swelling.

Non-Pharmacologic Treatment of Inflammation due to Musculoskeletal Injury

When you sustained an injury to your muscles, tendons, ligaments, or bones, the inflammation can be managed with the use of the PRICE protocol, which stands for:

• Protection:  This prevents further or aggravation of the injury. Crutches, canes, and walkers can be used to protect an injured leg from bearing too much weight, while a sling, splint, or brace may be prescribed to protect and limit the movements of an injured arm.
• Rest:  An injured limb is rested to allow healing and repair to occur. However, total rest is not advised as it may promote weakness and other adverse effects due to immobility. Gentle movements are allowed as long as it doesn’t cause pain or aggravation of the injury.
• Ice:  The use of cold treatment is recommended to minimize and reduce swelling as well as to decrease pain.
• Compression:  The use of compression wraps and elastic bandages minimizes swelling and provides mild support.
• Elevation:  Placing an injured limb above the level of the heart helps to reduce the pooling of fluid in the injured extremity or joint thereby controlling swelling.

Speed Up Your Recovery from Inflammation with Recovapro!!!

When an injury is healing poorly or is taking too long to heal due to inflammation, you can try Recovapro vibration therapy through the Recovapro massage gun. Apply it over the surrounding area to stimulate enhanced blood flow, supplying oxygen and nutrients to an injured body part while flushing excess fluids that cause swelling and inflammation. It relaxes tensed muscles around, decreasing the pain while improving joint stiffness and enhancing muscle flexibility. It also stimulates the muscles around, involuntarily strengthening them.  All of these effects combined can truly speed up recovery!!!

PRECAUTION:  DO NOT DIRECTLY APPLY PERCUSSIVE VIBRATION THERAPY OVER A SEVERELY INFLAMED AREA. IN MILD CASES, JUST LIGHTLY TOUCH THE MASSAGE GUN AND APPLY A GENTLE NON-PAINFUL PRESSURE. ALWAYS ASK A PROFESSIONAL FOR ADVICE.