Ligament Injuries – Treatments?

A ligament is a fibrous tissue that acts as a connection between bone and bone or bone and cartilage. It also provides support and strength to the joints. It plays a significant role in aligning the bones of the skeleton and preventing abnormal movements of the joints.

Though they are strong, they can be stretched or get torn. If a ligament is stretched too far from its normal position due to an injury or a fall, it is called a sprain.

An injured ligament calls for the services of an ortho doctor. If you have such an injury, visit an ortho centre for getting treated. These are the most commonly injured ligaments

• Ankle
• Knee
• Wrist

Ligament Injury Treatment

People who are engaged in athletic activities are especially prone to ligament injuries. This happens because ligaments of the ankle, knee, and wrist are in consistent action and stress when the athletic activity is being carried out. It could result in stretching or tearing of a ligament. The ligament can be treated by using the RICE (rest, ice, compression, and elevation) method which includes four steps –

Rest: in case you have an injury, it is important to get proper rest. It will help in the recovery of injury whether it is in the muscle, tendon, ligament, or bone. One must stop any activity that further stresses the injured area and allow it to recover with due course of time. One should give the body plenty of time to recover. The recovery time usually varies from individual to individual.

Ice: contact with ice provides pain relief to the injured area. It also provides relief to the swelling as it reduces the amount of blood that flows to the injured area. However, one should be careful while applying ice to an injured area. One should not apply the ice directly to the body. One should wrap the ice in a towel or paper towel for applying on the body. The ice should be applied to an injury for 15-20 minutes after the injury occurs, not after that.

Compression: Compression helps in reducing and limiting the overall swelling. One can do compression by wrapping the injured area in a bandage. It sometimes helps in reducing the pain due to injury.

Elevation: Elevating the injured area helps in controlling the overall swelling. For effective elevation, the injured area of the body should be raised above the heart level. Elevation not only helps in controlling the blood flow to the area, but it also helps in reducing the swelling.

The RICE method helps limit the impact of a ligament injury and speed up the recovery time.