Sprains and bruises

Reviewed by Dr Dan Rutherford, GP

What should I do to prevent sprains?

Ask yourself what caused your accident and focus on the cause. Note that the following information is a very rough guide: if in doubt, consult a doctor.

Running too quickly?

Exercising without any warm-up or stretching exercises?

Running, working out or playing sport without the proper shoes?

Running on hard or uneven surfaces?

Are any of your muscles overcompensating for weakness in another - for instance, due to a bad knee?

Recovering from sprains

When the pain and the swelling have gone, start exercising the injured part of the body gently. After one or two days' rest, it is important to start moving again to reduce the amount of scarring formed in the damaged tissue.

As with any activity, warm up slowly and use stretching exercises to begin with. If it's possible to stay physically active without further injuring the sprained area, do so. Keep your other muscles functioning and maintain physical fitness.

How to treat bruises

Bruises and swellings are caused by bleeding under the skin. Again, bruises are best treated with cooling. To do this, follow the instructions given above for cooling treatment of sprains.

If several bruises surround a large one, and you have not had any other accidents, consult your doctor to find out whether your blood is clotting as it should.

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