SPRAINS AND BRUISES: CASE HISTORIES

Posted: April 29th, 2009 | Author: admin | Filed under: General health | No Comments »

Case No. 1.

Three workers in our publishing house sustained similar injuries at different times. One had the flesh stripped back to the bone on two fingers. The second had his hand crushed in the guillotine, although no bones were broken. And the third caught the first joint of his third finger in the folder and thought he had lost it. All three were in great pain, but all three dropped their work immediately and started the hot and cold treatments. None of the treatments lasted more than thirty minutes, and in no case was any further treatment necessary, apart from bandaging the torn flesh and applying healing ointment. It could be noted here that because of the extreme pain, the change from hot to cold was very quick to start with, the hot lasting, at first, for only 10 or 15 seconds. As the pain subsided, we left the injured part in hot water for longer periods with short intervals in cold.

In all three cases after the initial treatment there was no further pain, no swelling, and no throbbing. It was only a matter then of leaving nature’s healing processes to rebuild the lacerated flesh. After the treatment, all were able to return in the same day to their work.

Case No. 2.

We turn now to the case of a man who did not obtain immediate treatment. At six o’clock in the morning, he was jogging along a dirt road when he turned his ankle on a round stone. He tested the joint and, finding that it was not too painful, walked on it, thinking that he would have no further trouble with it. However, three hours later, in the midst of his daily work program, the ankle began to stiffen and swell and became extremely painful. In another hour, he was forced to stop work and could not bear to put his foot on the ground.

This man understood the method of the hot and cold treatment but was worried because he thought the long four-hour delay would have made it too late for the treatment to be effective. Nevertheless, he obtained assistance to reach home, where he immediately began the treatment by immersing the ankle first in a bucket of hot water and then plunging it into a bucket in which there was just enough water to cover the ice cubes.

After one full hour, no relief had been obtained. So, after resting for a few minutes he gave it a second hour, still with no results. His friends, who had experienced sprained ankles before, gloomily prophesied that he would be laid up for at least two weeks.

However, hope springs eternal, and persistence finally paid off. It was not until after five hours of treatment had been given that relief finally came. This is easily understood when it is remembered that for four hours congestion had been allowed to build up before treatment was begun. This edge had to be overcome, and that took time.

That night he slept with no problems. Turning in bed caused no pain, and next morning, to the astonishment of his friends, he was able to dance one-legged on the injured leg. Instead of two weeks on crutches, he was running, walking, lifting, and working normally the very next day after the injury and has suffered no ill effects from that time on.

This case illustrates the necessity of persevering with the treatment until results are obtained. The treatment will not fail provided you do not give up too soon.

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