How to decrease PAIN with a minor INJURY

It is common for family/friends to ask me how to manage a minor injury. "Hey, Liz--my back hurts" is a pretty common one. "I hurt my shoulder the other day." "For some reason my knee is bothering me."  I won't give any names, but some family members have a new area of pain every time I see them :)

My answer is the same for almost all of them. It involves a few easy steps.

1. Ice the painful area. Put a cold pack, a bag of ice, or a bag of frozen vegetables in a pillowcase and place it on the area of pain for 10-15 minutes, at least 1-2x/day.

2. Avoid the aggravating activities. If there are activities that bother your pain, try to avoid them or modify them for the next week.

3. Manage your pain with over-the-counter medicine if needed (check with your doctor and/or pharmacist for further  guidance)

4. Call me back in 1-2 weeks if it is getting worse.