Wondering how to get rid of that excruciating pain and swelling? Read about some effective home-based remedies to reduce swelling and move from “aaaaah” to “aha”.

How To Reduce Swelling

Medically referred to as Edema, swelling is characterized by an excessive build up of fluids within body tissues which leads to growth of your body parts to twice the size of what they used to be. Injury, infection, eczema, allergic reaction, insect bite, pregnancy, and poor kidney and liver conditions are some of the major causes of swelling. Legs and feet, organs, skin, glands, breasts, and ankles are the areas commonly affected by swelling. Although it is a not a condition to go insane about, however, if the swelling is abrupt and severe, immediate medical attention is called for. A prolonged swelling that doesn’t go away even after proper rest and treatment calls for expert medical advise. A number of home based remedies are available to provide you instant relief. However, if the condition and pain still persists, consult a doctor as soon as possible. Continue reading to know about the ways to reduce swelling.
 
Ways To Reduce Swelling
 
Apply Ice
Good old chilly way to ease pain — ice. Applying ice pack to the swollen area will kick that pain right out of you. Take some cubes from the freezer and put them in a towel and rub it on the affected area, if you don’t have an ice pack.
 
Drink Water Aplenty
Have lots of water bottles stocked in your refrigerator? Drink them all. Although it’ll have you make hourly visits to the washroom, consuming lots of water would help you get rid of those toxins and bad fluids from your body and will lessen the impact of the swollen area and the pain.
 
For A Change, Rest!
Yes, you heard it right. Nobody will call you a sloth. Put your feet up if you have a swollen ankle, knee, or foot and rest them. Take the weight off that leg and rest.
 
Balanced Diet
Consume balanced and proportionate diet. Increase the intake of fruits and vegetables. A healthy you will function more effectively than an unhealthy you. Decrease the intake of salt, as it can absorb quite an amount of fluids inside you and leave you dehydrated. Avoid smoking, alcohol, and caffeine as all of them aggravate swelling.
 
Hot Cold Therapy
Immediately after the injury, a combination of cold and hot substances rubbed into the affected area is a sure shot technique to lessen the impact of injury and constrain the pain from getting severe. Both hot and cold therapies work in tandem to move that blood out of the affected area and reduce the pain. Always start and end with cold therapy. This is how it goes - cold hot cold hot cold - with 3-5 minutes for each session.
 
Exercise Regularly
After you’ve got rid of the swelling, make way for regular exercising in your daily routine. Join a gym which has a qualified trainer and a physician. Tell them about your weak muscle areas and your medical history. Regular exercising will open up those muscles and make them immune to severe injuries or swelling in the future. Have your body massaged every fortnight or month and get that soreness in your muscles and stress kicked out of you.
 
Follow these home remedies to reduce swelling and make your body pain free. Run! Run like the wind!

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