DR. ANDREW QUOC DUTTON

The R.I.C.E. method typically helps with symptoms like pain and inflammation, and it is important that it is administered during the first 24-72 hours after you sustained the injury. It stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation.

Source: Traumatic Sports Injuries: Symptoms, Causes and Treatments

If your lower back pain is accompanied by other troubling symptoms, it may require immediate medical attention. Severe back pain might be a sign of a more serious underlying medical emergency.

Pain can sometimes be a red herring because the sensation may radiate to or from other areas. Its distribution has often led to confusion in healthcare workers. Therefore, to properly diagnose the cause behind hip pain, it’s not enough to focus on the ball-and-socket joint alone, but also on its surrounding areas.

Source: Where Is This Pain Coming From? [Troubleshooting Hip Bone Pain]

You will know that you are dealing with a serious knee injury when knee movement is impaired or impossible. If the severity of knee pain is also increasing in intensity, you must get it checked as soon as possible.

Source: The Real Score on Knee Pain

Here are general tips for stretching to relieve back pain:

• Wear comfortable clothing that won’t bend or constrict movements
• Do not force the body into difficult or painful positions—stretching should be pain free
• Move into a stretch slowly and avoid bouncing, which can cause muscle strain
• Stretch on a clean, flat surface that is large enough to move freely
• Hold stretches long enough (15 to 30 seconds) to adequately lengthen muscles and improve range of motion
• Repeat a stretch between 2 and 5 times—a muscle usually reaches maximum elongation after about 4 repetitions
  Stretch one side of the body at a time

Specific exercises should be given by your doctor after a thorough evaluation of your case. This is to ensure that you avoid undue strain what could potentially expose you to further injury.

Source: Stretching for Back Pain Relief

It usually takes 5 to 14 days to recover from a grade one ankle sprain. This is when slight stretching and damage occurs to the ligaments. With a grade one sprain, there is slight instability, pain, swelling, joint stiffness and trouble walking.

Grade two sprains can take 4 to 6 weeks to heal. This involves partial tearing of the ligaments. Signs of a grade two sprain include instability, moderate to severe pain, swelling, stiffness and possible bruising.

Grade three sprains can take 8 to 12 weeks to heal. This is a complete tear of the ligament. With grade three sprains, there is a lot of instability within the joint, severe pain when the injury occurs and no pain after injury, severe swelling and excessive bruising.

Source: How long does it take to recover from a sprained ankle?

There are effective exercises that can help relieve shoulder pain. These include the following:

Pendulum. You do this by leaning over and supporting your non-injured arm with a table or chair. Allow the sore arm to dangle straight down and then draw circles in the air. The circles should start out small but gradually grow, and you should also reverse direction periodically. Repeat this exercise 5 to 10 times throughout the day.

Arm across the chest. To do this stretch, hold your right hand out in front of your body, keeping it near the waist. Then reach the left hand behind the elbow while pulling the right arm to the left and across the chest. Lower the arm until the pain lessens. Hold in this position for 30 to 50 seconds and then release. Repeat this stretch 3 to 5 times.

Neck release. While sitting up straight, slowly tilt the chin toward the chest until the stretch can be felt in the back of the neck. Then lean your head toward the left to stretch the right shoulder, or conversely lean to the right to stretch the left shoulder. The stretch should be held for a minute on each side. Try breathing deeply to help relax and maximize the stretch.

Chest expansion. For this exercise you’ll need an exercise band, rope, strap or a tie. Take one of these items and hold it behind your back while grasping with both hands. Move the shoulder blades toward one another and gently lift your chin toward the ceiling. Hold for 10 to 15 seconds while breathing deeply. Do this 3 to 5 times.

Source: 4 Effective Exercises and Stretches to Relieve Shoulder Pain

You must approach your doctor if you experience

• Persistent pain
• Intense pain
• Swelling/ sudden swelling
• Redness
• Warmth around the joint
• Hip pain at night or when you are resting
• Inability to move your leg or hip
• Inability to bear weight on the affected leg

Source: Hip Pain 101: 8 Facts You Must Know

Walking is a good way to begin the transition from inactivity to activity—even if you have arthritis in a weight-bearing joint like your knee or hip. Walking is a simple and low-impact activity that can help relieve arthritis pain, stiffness, and swelling.

Source: Walking: The Best Way to Start Getting Active with Arthritis

ACL injuries can be treated using non-invasive and invasive treatments.

Non-surgical interventions may include progressive physical therapy and rehabilitation to restore the knee to a condition close to its pre-injury state. Your doctor will also educate you on how to prevent instability. This may be supplemented with the use of a hinged knee brace.

Surgical treatment is usually advised in dealing with combined injuries (ACL tears in combination with other injuries in the knee). However, deciding against surgery is reasonable for select patients.

Source: ACL Injury: Does It Require Surgery?

There are different types of treatment for rotator cuff pain. It can include the following measures:

• Applying hot or cold packs to the affected shoulder to reduce swelling
• Exercises to restore strength and range of motion
• Injecting the affected area with cortisone, a steroid that helps to reduce inflammation
• Resting the affected arm and wearing a sling to isolate arm motions
• Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen and naproxen

In some cases, surgical intervention may be necessary. This will be considered a plausible option in the following circumstances:

• Your symptoms have lasted 6 to 12 months
• You have a large tear (more than 3 cm) and the quality of the surrounding tissue is good
• You have significant weakness and loss of function in your shoulder
• Your tear was caused by a recent, acute injury

Source: Rotator Cuff Tears

• MRI exams may be done on an outpatient basis.
• You will be positioned on the moveable exam table. Straps and bolsters may be used to help you stay still and maintain your position.
• Small devices that contain coils that send and receive radiofrequency pulses may be placed around your knee to help improve image quality.
• While some orthopaedic surgeons may use IV lines and contrast for MRIs, we don’t do so for this purpose.
• When the exam is complete, you may be asked to wait while the radiologist checks the images in case more are needed.
• The entire exam is usually completed in 45 minutes.

Source: What is Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the Knee