Hand injuries are not only painful, but they make your daily activities difficult. Hand injuries can be caused by repetitive motion of the hand at work or sports that require a certain move frequently or a trauma. If you’re looking to recover from your hand injury more quickly, visit the clinic of an orthopedic surgeon or try the below methods.

The RICE Method

The most way for recovering from many sorts of injuries is the RICE method. It stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Keep in mind that this method is for mild and moderate hand injuries. For a severe injury, going to a doctor or hospital is the best option.

For a hand injury, you should keep the hand rested for 1-2 days and keep a proper sleep routine. Once every few hours, keep a pack of ice on the hand for 20 minutes. Ice will aid your body in reducing inflammation.

Moreover, use a brace or similar item for compression on the hand for avoiding swelling. And lastly, another measure you should take for reducing swelling is keeping the hand elevated while resting. Use a few pillows or any other method to keep your hand a bit elevated above the heart.

Although RICE is the most common method for healing hand injuries, another method MICE is also suggested by some doctors. MICE stands for movement, ice, compression, and elevation.

In MICE, you follow the same three actions (ice, compression, and elevation), but change one action – rest. Slight and small movements can help in the healing process accompanied by adequate rest which is done in the MICE method.

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy is a critical part of the recovery process for a hand injury and many other injuries. For mild and moderate injuries, your doctor will prescribe exercises that you can do at home. However, in the case of severe hand injuries, you may need the services of a therapist to perform the hand injury exercises otherwise, exercises that don’t incorrectly can lead to further complications and slowed recovery.

Physical therapy exercises are designed to improve the strength and functionality of your hand. When done correctly, physical therapy for hand injuries can speed up the recovery process and reduce the risk of the same injury in the future.

Make sure that you consistently perform the prescribed exercises to restore the strength and flexibility of your hand.

Use Bracing If Required

If your hand injury is moderate to severe, the use of a split or brace can help you protect your hand and keep it rested. However, make sure that you follow the RICE and MICE method to rest your hand, but also perform mild exercises, among other things.

Use Heat And Cold Therapy

You can use heat therapy to minimize pain and stiffness of the hand. Heat can reduce inflammation in the injured area by increasing blood circulation. You easily perform heat therapy by keeping a warm compress on your injured hand for 20 minutes.

Similar to heat therapy, cold therapy provides the same benefits with the opposite approach. Cold therapy can also reduce inflammation by restricting blood flow. For this method, keep an ice pack on your hand for 20 minutes.

If you want another option in heat therapy, you can also look into paraffin therapy. Heated wax is used to relax muscles and reduce pain.

Medication

With RICE and physical therapy, you may need a method to instantly reduce pain if it’s too much or uncomfortable for you. You will need to discuss it with your doctor so he/she can advise the correct over-the-counter pain relievers and anti-inflammatory medicines for you along with dosages. Additionally, if your injury is serious, your doctor may prescribe a pain-relieving drug for severe injuries.

Apart from medications, instant relief can be obtained with anti-inflammatory injections. They are administered by a qualified nurse or a specialist.

Hand Surgery

Hand surgeries are suggested by doctors when the injury is severe such as fractured bones or tendon injuries. Moreover, hand surgery may be left as the only option for a chronic hand injury that is not getting better.

Conclusion

You can recover from your hand injury quickly by following the RICE method and performing exercises prescribed by your hand injury specialist Woodbridge. In severe cases, you may have to consider hand surgery.