We asked a pharmacist at Medipost Pharmacy to give us some tips on how to effectively treat a minor injury at home.
Minor muscle strain and stiffness is a common issue for people who lead an active lifestyle. It is not always necessary to head to your doctor for every little tweak, but it is important to treat the injury properly to ensure that it doesn’t turn into a more serious problem later on, if left untreated and ignored.It all starts with RICE:I –for compression – Bandage a swollen ankle but not too tightly, as this could cut off blood circulation.
Ibuprofen, at a dosage of 200 to 400mg every eight hours, is your go-to anti-inflammatory. The maximum dose of 1200mg per 24 hours should never be exceeded. Eat before you take an oral anti-inflammatory, and check with your doctor or pharmacist for any possible drug interactions with other medications you may be taking.
Transdermal patches, that contain flurbiprofen, are another useful option for treating muscles or joints inflamed by exercise and can be stuck to the area like a sticky bandage, allowing the skin to absorb the active ingredients directly where the pain is. These can be used together with oral muscle relaxants or analgesics. Be careful not to place transdermal patches around the groin area or on sensitive skin.