Oops, I Injured Myself or (Damn, That Hurts!)

So you followed all the suggestions in the Injury Prevention article and you still managed to hurt yourself. Well pay close attention because the treatments outlined in this article are categorized by acute, sub-acute or chronic, depending on the symptoms and the stage of healing you are in. It is very important to know the difference, because each stage is treated very differently and the treatments are not interchangeable and will make an injury worse when used in the wrong stage. After you have thoroughly familiarized yourself with the different stages of injury you will find detailed instructions on how to apply R.I.C.E.R. and a Vascular Flush in the next article “Your Two Secret Weapons Against Sport Injuries”

A textbook definition of an acute injury is defined as the first 72 hours after an injury. However, it's more accurate to define the stage of healing by the symptoms you see and feel, rather than a textbook definition of when a specific stage begins and ends.

For example if you sprain your elbow playing tennis and continue to swing a racket around, your acute stage could last longer because you're irritating the tissue and prolonging the inflammation and other symptoms. Or if you have an old (chronic) injury and it flares up, it is considered acute again.

I have provided an outline of the different stages of injury, the proper treatments and detailed instructions for each treatment.

Acute Injury

Acute phase of an injury is usually defined as the first 72 hours after an injury. It can take 24 to 72 hours for enough tissue fluid to accumulate in order to cause symptoms of pain and stiffness (from swollen muscles). This is why many people frequently do not see their physicians immediately after an accident or injury - it simply doesn't hurt enough (or it may not hurt at all) initially.

Symptoms of the acute stage are inflammation (redness and swelling), sudden/severe pain, stiffness, bruising (red, black or blue), muscle spasms and tissue tenderness.

Treatment: R.I.C.E.R



Sub-Acute Injury

Typically defined as 3 days to 3 weeks after an injury. Inflammation begins to decrease, your range of motion increases, bruising will begin to look more yellow, green and brown. Your body is generating new tissue in the form of very fragile scar tissue.

Treatment: R.I.C.E.R. and Vascular Flush



Chronic Injury

Defined as any time after 3 weeks. Signs of inflammation and bruising are gone. Pain with movement is dull/achy but not sharp. May experience pain at the very end range of movement and/or dull ache at rest. Scar tissue has matured.

Treatment: Ice, Vascular Flush and Moist Heat

When to Use Ice:

During Acute Stage (immediately up to 72 hours after an injury)

• To decrease swelling and inflammation
• To numb pain
• To decrease muscle spasms
• To treat an acute burn


During Chronic Stage (after inflammation subsides, usually 4 or 5 days after injury)

• To manage pain and possible swelling
• After an activity or workout involving an overuse injury to decrease pain and swelling
• To treat joint swelling due to inflammatory arthritis

When to Use Heat:

During Chronic Stage (after inflammation subsides, usually 4 or 5 days after injury)

• To warm up stiff joints and aid in joint mobility
• To decrease chronic muscle spasms
• To aid in stretching tight muscles
• To warm up the affected area before an activity or workout involving an overuse injury

Related Articles: Sport Injury Prevention, Your Two Secret Weapons In Sport Injury Care