Injured In Paradise?

INJURED IN PARADISE?

Whether you hurt yourself on vacation here in Kauai or you are a local and were showing off your cliff jumping skills, you can find relief with some of these simple home remedies!

Of course, in the case of any severe injury you should immediately contact 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. However, for minor "bumps and bruises" you can follow these steps:

After assessing your injuries, and determining that you do not need immediate medical intervention, what can you do to make sure that you get better as quick as possible and have the least amount of pain in the process?

CUTS AND SCRAPES

As long as your cut isn't too deep and doesn't require stitches, you can take care of your wound with some items probably already in your medicine chest. 

The most important thing to remember if you have a cut or scrape from the reef (or anything in the ocean), is to thoroughly clean it out. The protein from the animal in the coral reef, as well as bacteria in the warm ocean water can spell disaster for any size wounds. 

STEP 1: Scrub with soap and water and the rinse again with soap and water. Hydrogen peroxide can also be used, but it is important to also rinse again with water after. 

STEP 2: Keep the wound clean and dry, and if possible apply an over-the-counter antibiotic cream (like Neosporin) once to twice a day. 

STEP 3: For any signs of infection (increased redness, pain, or pus) consult your primary care physician. 

ICE OR HEAT?

I often get asked by my patients, "should I put ice or heat on this?"
The answer is fairly simple. If it is a new injury (within the last 24-48 hours) then put ice on it! 
Ice acts as a VASOCONSTRICTOR, meaning it shrinks the tissue around where it is applied. Cold Packs are excellent to apply in cases where the pain is ACUTE (just happened). Shrinking the tissue also means that it is going to shrink inflammation. And since inflammation=pain, this is a good thing!
Heat acts as a VASODILATOR, meaning that it expands the tissue around it. Moist Heat is excellent to apply in cases where the pain is CHRONIC (long-term). Applying heat is very helpful when you have tight and sore muscles.

NECK AND BACK PAIN

Neck and back pain can come from numerous causes. Some of the more common causes are from slips and falls, activities on Kauai (riding on boats, zip-lines, hiking, swimming and kayaking) and just plain over-doing it! 

First, it is important to know that your body is very smart! When your brain senses that an injury has occurred anywhere near the spine, it reacts by making the muscles near the spine TIGHT as a protective mechanism. If you have every experienced whiplash, you know this because after your injury your neck muscles get VERY tight. While this is a very genius plan by your body to protect the spine from future injury, muscle tightness or SPASM can be very painful. 

Several types of injury can occur which cause neck and back pain, the two most common are MUSCLE STRAINS and LIGAMENT SPRAINS.

              In a muscle strain, typically the muscle is stretched beyond its normal limit. The result may

              be a tear in the muscle, or simply a severe stretch. The muscle often responds by becoming 

              TIGHT and SORE. 

              In a ligament strain, the ligament is also stretched beyond its normal limit. The result is that

              normal movement of what the ligament controls is very painful and sometime impossible. If 

              movement has become impossible (example: unable to walk on sprained ankle), you will 

              need to contact your primary care specialist.

For minor to moderate sprains and strains, the care begins with applying ice to the affected area. 

You may have heard the acronym RICE (REST, ICE COMPRESSION, ELEVATION). It is just that easy. Ace bandages can be applied for compression (which helps to decrease swelling after an injury).

CHIROPRACTIC CARE ON KAUAI

If you have any questions about how to manage any of these concerns, I am happy to help. 

I am available 7 days a week (because injuries don't just happen Monday-Friday).

For more information on how Chiropractic can help, 

call Dr. Leslie Pelletier, DC

Kauai Chiropractor, Koloa-Poipu Chiropractor

Ph: 808-634-6632

http://www.kauai-chiropractor.com

*Anytime you are experiencing the worst pain of your life, a loss of consciousness, visual changes, persistent dizziness, loss of bowel or bladder control or difficulty breathing immediately call 911.