Accidents such as sprain, contusion and muscle strain often occur in our life. When these injuries occur, mastering some first aid knowledge can play a role in avoiding further aggravation of the disease and accelerating recovery.
First step, rest. Rest immediately after injury can promote faster recovery and reduce pain, bleeding or swelling to prevent injury from worsening.
The second step is cold compress. After resting for 15-20 minutes, apply cold for 15-20 minutes, then remove the ice and rest for 5 minutes before applying. It can contract blood vessels and reduce swelling, pain and spasm. There are four stages of skin sensation during cold application: cold → pain → scorching → numbness. When it becomes numbness, the cold application can be finished. Don't stop cold compress too early and switch to hot compress. Cold compress should be used at least 3-4 times a day within two days after injury. For more serious injuries, hot compress should be considered only after 3 days of cold compress and when swelling has obviously subsided.
Step 3, pressurize. Cover the wound with a clean dressing and press the affected part with hands, bandages, etc. to slow down the deterioration of the injury. When bandaging, the wound should be wrapped up from a few inches below the wound, with about half of the wound overlapping spirally, and gradually wrapped up in an average and slightly pressurized manner, but it should be looser when passing through the wound to ensure smooth blood circulation of the injured limb. Observe the color of the exposed toes or fingers. If there are any symptoms such as pain, skin discoloration, paralysis, stabbing pain, etc., the bag is too tight, and the heavy bag should be unpacked.
Step 4, raise. Lifting the wound to the height of the patient's heart can stop bleeding and swelling. If fracture is suspected, the wound should be fixed with splint before lifting.
