Symptoms
The
typical signs and symptoms associated with a sprain are:
Areas most prone to such injuries:
-
Ankle. A twisted is one of the most common injury for
those who live an active life style and for senior
citizens.
-
Knee. Most likely area of injury to the knee is the
knee cap and anterior cruciate ligament.
-
Fingers. It is more painful then hurting your wrist
because you need to move your fingers all the time.
-
Wrist. The wrist is another fairly common area of
sprain or strain.
-
Hands (palm and fingers). Mostly injured at work
place.
-
Spine. This can happen when playing games like
badminton when you bend too far backward or improperly
lifting heavy objects. The latter is the most common
back injury.
The
normal recommendations by allopath people for treating
such injuries are:
-
Rest. Stop all activities which cause pain to the
sprained area. (Frankly this is an almost impossible
condition to fulfill).
-
Ice. Apply ice to the area several times a day but
never for more than 10-15 minutes at a time. (That
means you cannot go to office)
-
Compression. Wrap the sprained area to reduce
swelling.
-
Elevation. Keep the sprained area as close to the
level of the heart as is conveniently possible. (What
happen when you have an ankle injury?).
-
Bandaging. To stop the parts like hand from moving,
giving it time to heal.
-
Operation. Operation is done to sew back broken nerves
but for injured nerves there is nothing nature much
can be done.
The unspoken
words from these people generally is this “there is
nothing much we can do as we have no effective medicine
for you and so let the body heal by itself". (The pain
killers and other medicine given is only to mask the
problem.) This could take 1 or 2 months to "treat" or
more if the injury is serious. Even if the patient
recovers, in the future the pain will come back if
“treated” under such circumstances. It is commonly
called “Old Injury Pain” syndrome. It usually comes back
after the age of 40 to 45 and normally attack when the
weather is cold. This is a proven experiential fact.
Herbal Treatment
In
olden days in China, how did the Shoalin Martial Art (kungfu)
masters and students treat their injuries when they have
to be subjected to extremely strenuous exercise? For
them traumatic injuries are common. If they have to wait
and let time do the healing each time they are injured
they would never graduate as kungfu masters.
TCM
has a class of herbs for such problems. This group of
herbs Rehmannia Glutinosa, Prunus Persica, Acanthopanax
Gracilistylus, Cinnamonium Cassia, Rhizoma Notopterygii
and Rheum Palmatum are commonly called Kungfu herbs.
They are designed to remove blood stasis, reduced
swelling and rejuvenate and restore injured nerves,
tendons, ligaments and muscles.
Research by western scientists have shown that:
1)
Rehmannia Glutinosa can
helps strengthen the bones and tissue. It stimulates the
formation of red blood cells and other immune
potentiating substances in the bone marrow. It stimulate
the secretion of another important kidney hormone,
erythropoietin. This hormone acts on the bone marrow to
stimulate the proliferation of precursor cells and their
maturation into erythrocytes.
2)
Prunus Persica can be used to promote blood circulation
to remove blood stasis and for traumatic injuries.
3)
Acanthopanax Gracilistylus can be used for relieving
pain and enhances the production of adrenocortical
hormones. Adrenocortical hormones are
any
of the various hormones secreted by the adrenal cortex,
especially cortisol, aldosterone, and corticosterone. It
is also called cortical hormone. Cortisol helps to
reduce neurogenic stress and injuries. Cortisol is
clinically used in the form of hydrocortisone or
prednisone to help control acute inflammation.
Unfortunately cortisol type drugs do not correct the
basic disease condition. With prolonged use over weeks
and months it will also cause many of the following
described side effects such as muscle weakness, weakness
of the immune system and edemic swelling of the tissues.
But plant based cortisol type chemicals like allantoin
and our body's cortisol hormones do not have such
problems. In fact plant based cortisol type chemical and
our body's cortisol helps to increase the transport of
amino acids from the extracellular fluids by helping our
enzymes to convert amino acids into blood glucose.
Because cortisol mobilizes amino acids, it is effective
in helping to repair damaged soft tissue.
Aldosterone helps to maintain and control the
biochemical balances e.g. potassium and salt balances in
the body. Aldosterone, the most important
mineralocorticoid is mainly controlled by the
renin-angiotensin mechanism and by the concentration of
potassium in the extracellular fluid. If the biochemical
balances goes out of sync it can create havoc in the
body. For example an excessive loss of potassium from
the extracellular fluid can lead to muscular weaknesses.
Acanthopanax Gracilistylus:
Clinical research by western scientists have shown
that Acanthpanax Gracilistylus can inhibit human
platelet aggregation (blood clot). 63147
“To study the effect of Acanthopanax Gracilistylus var
pubescens LI saponins (AGVPS) on human platelet
aggregation and platelet factor 4 (PF4) liberation in
vitro. Methods:
Human
platelet aggregations induced by ADP, adrenaline, and
collagen were measured turbidimetrically. The
aggregation curve was recorded on a platelet
aggregometer and the maximal aggregation rate (ARmax),
effective deaggregation rate in 5 min (DR5 min) and lag
time (LT) were autocalculated by the built-in
microcomputer; PF4 liberation from human platelets
stimulated by ADP and collagen was determined by
recording the heparin thrombin clotting time (HTCT).
Thrombosis was tested by weighing the wet and dry
thrombi formed in a siliconized revolving ring. RESULTS:
AGVPS inhibited in vitro the ARmax with IC50 of 1.33
(95% confidence limits: 1.09-1.63, ADP-induced), 1.66
(1.54-1.79, adrenaline-induced), and 4.2 g.L-1 (0.6-29,
collagen-induced). The DR5 min (on ADP-induced
aggregation) and LT (collagen-induced) were also
increased as well. Meanwhile, AGVPS 0.63-2.50 g.L-1
prolonged HTCT on ADP- and collagen-stimulated PF4
liberation. At 0.34-1.39 g.L-1, AGVPS reduced the wet
and dry weight of thrombi formed in vitro. CONCLUSION:
AGVPS inhibits human platelet aggregation, liberation,
and thrombosis in vitro, suggesting its possible
antithrombotic action in man.” “Inhibitory effects of
Acanthopanax Gracilistylus saponins on human plate
aggregation and platelet factor 4 liberation in vitro”
Chen XC,
Xia L,
Hu S,
Huang G Department
of Pharmacology, Hainan Medical College, Haikou, China.
PMID 9863147
4)
Cinnamonium Cassia can be used to promote blood
circulation and for treating muscle and joint problems
by strengthening muscles and bones.
5)
Rhizoma Notopterygii can be used as an analgesic agent
Notopterygium Incisum:
Clinical research by western scientists have shown
that notopterol,
the analgesic component of Notopterygium incisum, has
anti-inflammatory activity by its inhibitory effect in
the vascular permeability test.
39339
"Notopterol was identified
as the analgesic component of Notopterygium incisum by
using the acetic acid-induced writhing method.
Notopterol also indicated an anti-inflammatory activity
by its inhibitory effect in the vascular permeability
test. The intensive prolongation of
pentobarbital-induced hypnosis was possibly caused by
its inhibitory effect on the drug metabolism in liver.
Pharmacological differences between the analgesic
components of N. incisum, Aralia cordata and Angelica
pubescens were also discussed." "Analgesic
component of Notopterygium incisum Ting"
Okuyama E Nishimura S Ohmori S Ozaki Y Satake M
Yamazaki M,
Faculty
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, Japan
Chem
Pharm Bull (Tokyo).
1993 May;41(5):926-9
ISSN: 0009-2363
PMID: 8339339
6)
Rheum Palmatum can be used to remove blood coagulation
and activates blood.
