Apples for Health- Summer injuries shouldn't be ignored

Summer injuries shouldn't be ignored

NEW YORK, May 18 (UPI) -- Not ignoring a summer ache or pain due to sports could help prevent serious injuries, two U.S. physicians advise.

Dr. William Levine, chief of sports medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, and Dr. Anil S. Ranawat, clinical instructor of orthopedic surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center recommend rest, ice, compass and elevate -- known as RICE -- a first-aid technique that can be applied to most sprains, strains and joint injuries.

If injured, the physicians recommend:
-- Rest the injured area -- don't try to work through the pain.
-- Ice every two hours for 15 minutes for the first 24-48 hours.
-- Compress the injured area by firmly bandaging.
-- Elevate the injured area above the level of the heart, if possible.

The doctors advise consulting a physician after an injury to ensure proper rehabilitation. However, they admit prevention is always better than a cure and they offer the following recommendations to avoid being injured:
-- Start slow to give unconditioned muscles and joints a chance to get back into shape.
-- Warming up before starting to bring blood to those underused muscles and joints and ending with gentle stretching to help retain and improve flexibility.
-- Take breaks every so often to give hardworking body parts a change to rest.