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How to Reduce Swelling in Your Hand After an Injury

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You may not think often about your hands, but they are one of the most commonly used body parts. We use our hands for countless things every day, but it’s often only when they’re injured that we realize how critical they are. This also means hands are vulnerable to a number of injuries, as they are often involved in activities. You may use your hands to handle sharp objects, brace yourself for impact, or open and close doors. If you suffer a hand injury, before visiting a hand specialist in Atlanta, there are steps you can take to mitigate the initial symptoms like pain and swelling.

What Is Swelling?

Generally, swelling after an accident is your body’s immune response to a personal injury. As a part of this response, white blood cells, proteins, antibodies, and various other fluids are all sent to the damaged body part to aid with healing, leading to inflammation and swelling because of the excess volume. This fluid is designed to protect damaged tissues, and a small amount of swelling is unavoidable and can be good for healing. However, too much swelling can lead to further complications.

Excess swelling can be uncomfortable and limit your range of motion, which can also slow down healing as you are not able to regain strength through movement. Additionally, when inflammation is not treated, it can lead to more swelling that never goes down.

Swelling is not an injury in itself, but instead appears when another injury has occurred. This can be a simple injury like a cut, or something more serious like a broken bone or dislocation. If you notice swelling in your hand, it is important to seek care from a hand specialist in Atlanta to determine the underlying cause.

Steps to Reduce Swelling After an Injury

In the immediate aftermath of an injury, you can perform simple steps at home to reduce swelling until you are able to seek medical attention.

1. Rest

When you use an injured hand, it encourages blood flow to that hand, which leads to further swelling and potentially irritating the already damaged cells. When stress is placed on an injury, the body continues sending fluid to protect it, which can cause more swelling in addition to more damage. Even if you are not experiencing pain, giving the hand a rest for a few days allows the swelling to go down and the injury to begin healing.

2. Ice and Cold Therapy

Cold applied immediately after an injury can help manage the pain and reduce swelling because it restricts blood flow to the area and decelerates cellular metabolism. Most people can use a bag of ice or an ice pack, though ice baths, cold therapy systems, and cryotherapy can all help as well. The cold can be applied throughout the day for no more than 30 minutes at a time, which should help the swelling clear up quickly.

3. Compression

Another way to reduce blood flow to an injury is by applying pressure immediately to the affected hand. Pressure can be applied on a prolonged basis using static or elastic bandages, as long as they are not so constrictive that they cut off the circulation altogether. As swelling increases and decreases, the bandages will likely need to be adjusted to accommodate the new hand size.

4. Elevation

Keeping an injury above the level of the heart can encourage less blood flow, preventing it from pooling and causing more swelling. This is usually easy with a hand injury, as you can use pillows to prop the hand up above the heart or hold the hand when moving.

5. Medication

While medication is not a long term solution, NSAIDs like ibuprofen reduce inflammation while also alleviating pain. You should always consult a doctor before using any medication and pay close attention to dosage and interaction information. If NSAIDs are safe for you, they can offer relief until you are able to seek medical care.

Many of these solutions can be combined to create extra benefit. For example, placing an ice pack within a compression bandage and elevating the hand allows you to reduce swelling in multiple ways, especially if the swelling is severe or increasing.

Treating Hand Injuries

Even if you are able to completely eliminate swelling at home, it is important to visit a hand specialist in Atlanta as soon as possible after an injury. Sometimes, we wouldn’t know how long after an accident injuries can appear. The hand contains a large number of bones and tissues that can be easily damaged, leading to an inability to perform your usual daily activities. At AICA Orthopedics, our doctors can evaluate your hand for any injuries, obvious or hidden, and create treatment plans designed to help you regain use of your hand quickly and safely.

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I’ve had a wonderful experience at AICA. The customer service is fantastic. The doctors and office staff were very caring and understanding of my situation. I’d highly recommend them to anyone!
Jordan C.
Jonesboro, GA
Thank you so much for the assistance! My back has never felt better, if you're ever in an accident and need healing this is the place to go!
Ryan M.
Jonesboro, GA
Love the atmosphere. Very relaxing. Everyone there gets 5 stars as far as I'm concerned. Excellent facility. Would definitely recommend.
Cassandra A.
Jonesboro, GA
Yesterday was my last day at AICA College Park since my accident in December, there is so much to say about the people who work here and the level of customer service, care, attention, friendliness, and overall amazing atmosphere that they provide. Location is perfect in College Park, right off the highway and in a small plaza with plenty of parking. The entire staff, from the front desk girls, to the physical therapy girls, to the chiros, and the medical team are AMAZING! I feel like I just lost my friends not being able to visit them twice a week every week. I will definitely miss coming here. All the smiles and warm welcomes received. The physical therapy - asking about my day, if everything is okay and helping my back and neck get better. I had the pleasure of having Dr. Hector as my chiropractor, he is awesome, was very helpful in the healing process and also a native Spanish speaker which is a plus for those of us who do speak Spanish. Before coming to AICA, I tried another injury clinic in ATL and walked out after 5 mins - so impersonal and cold. I am so glad that I found AICA in College Park. Trust me, if you are injured and need some healing and TLC you NEED to come to this clinic! Highly recommend to everyone. Thank you again to the guys and girls at AICA - xo Ms. Colon
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College Park, GA
WOW, THIS IS AN AMAZING PLACE OF BUSINESS FROM THE RECEPTION DESK TO THE DOCTORS OFFICE AND TREATMENT ROOM. I RECEIVED THE BEST CARE AND INFORMATION CONCERNING MY INJURIES. EXCELLENT SERVICE. I WILL BE BACK. I RECOMMEND THIS BUSINESS.
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College Park, GA
The ladies at Aica are very helpful and nice, I really enjoyed my visits to the office personally I’m going to refer friends in the near future.
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College Park, GA
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