Homeopathy for first aid in sprains and strains
Sprains and strains
Arnica
The first remedy to try after sprains. Sprain your ankle? Is it sore and bruised? Arnica is what you need! Feel sore all over after hiking all day? Arnica will restore beautifully. Whenever trauma produces pain, swelling, bruising, inflammation, and injury; think of arnica. Remember that the key indicator that arnica is needed is a sore, bruised, and beaten up sensation.
Ruta
Think of Ruta graveolens for injuries to the ligaments, tendons and connective tissue. A remedy useful in areas where the skin is close to the bone, and injuries to cartilage and fibrous tissue (hypericum is for injuries to nerve tissue, arnica to muscle tissue, and bellis perennis to soft tissue). The ruta person is worse when lying down and worse for cold.
Rhus tox
Sprains and strains. The pain or stiffness of rhus tox. is frequently relieved by continued movement. Beginning to move feels worse, but pain is better after continued motion. A sprained ankle will perhaps hurt most the next morning, or whenever the patient begins to move after having been at rest, but continued motion feels better when rhus tox is needed. Hot/warm bathing, warm application, warmth in any form feels better. Arnica and thus tox. are the two remedies most often called for after over-exertion, such as straining to lift something heavy, over exertion while gardening or the gym. (arnica cases are not relieved by continued motion).
Bryonia
Bryonia is the opposite of rhus tox. Everything is made worse by the slightest movement. The person needing Bryonia wants to keep perfectly still. Pressure helps relieve the pain, so the patient may be holding the affected part or lying on it. Tight bandaging feels better. The first aid cases covered by Bryonia are usually broken bones and sprains. Broken ribs often call for this remedy.
Ledum
Ledum can be very useful for sprained ankles. Ledum, over arnica if the ankle looks black with bruising and has the sensation of being cold, yet putting heat on feels worse. Pain relieved by applying ice. Ledum is often needed for a couple of days.
Dosing and frequency:
A 30c potency should be sufficient in most cases of first aid treatment. I do however recommend having arnica on hand in both 30c and 200c potency.
I suggest taking a dose (up to 10 granules, or 2-3 pellets) of the remedy every 15 minutes for the first few doses, and reduce to every 2-3 hours as the person improves. If no improvement after 3-4 doses you might want to look into a different remedy. The remedy may be repeated once or twice daily for a couple of days after the initial 24 hours. Stop taking the remedy after 2-3 days of improvement, or consult a professional homeopath if further treatment is needed.
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