If you’ve recently slipped on ice and suffering from aching muscles and joints, you know that no amount of pills can completely alleviate the pain and make a full, long-term recovery.
While medications may help temporarily, several natural remedies available could be just as helpful - and without any of the nasty side effects that we know lots of people are concerned about.
From ice and heat therapy to elevation, there are many natural ways to soothe those aches and pains while recovering from slipping on ice.
Plus, there are proven ways to accelerate healing, and enable you to regain your confidence on your feet after a trip, slip or fall.
In this article, we’ll provide 5 proven tips for easing pain naturally following a slip on icy terrain so you can get back to doing the things you love, regain your confidence, and retain your independence.
Consider Seeking Urgent Medical Attention After Slipping On Ice
If you slipped on ice and you're struggling to move freely, have severe pain, bleeding, or anything else that is concerning you, seek urgent medical attention.
If you aren't sure, don't guess and hope it's all going to be fine.
A fall on the ice can be a minor incident, however, for many slipping on ice can result in more serious injuries like fractures, torn muscles, or broken bones.
If left untreated, this can lead to far more serious problems which can have a life-changing impact on you.
Seeking help from experts, like our physical therapy team at our Lexington clinic, as early as you can, can prevent worsening of the injury if left untreated. It will also provide a natural way to recover without painkillers.
Apply Heat or Cold Therapy For Natural Pain Relief
If you have fallen on the ice and are in pain, heat or cold therapy can help with pain relief.
Heat therapy means using hot packs, warm towels, and other methods to apply heat to the affected area. The warmth helps to soothe sore, stiff muscles and joints and improves circulation to the area which accelerates recovery.
Cold therapy uses cold packs or even a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel which can reduce swelling and ease the pain.
Applying heat or cold therapy following a slip and fall on the icy terrain should be done in 20-minute intervals, but typically up to no more than three times a day.
Both types of therapies can be used together to help your body recover faster from a fall on the ice. If you are unsure which is best for your particular injury, you can find out this, and much more in a Free Injury Screening.
Elevate The Injured Area Above Your Heart If Possible
After a slip on ice, a common injury is pain, stiffness, or discomfort in your wrist, elbow, ankle, or knee.
Elevating the injured area above the heart is an important part of natural pain relief following slipping on ice. If you can, keep your injured body part elevated on a pillow or two while you are resting.
This position helps to reduce swelling, reduce pain, and speed up the healing process.
Rest While Arranging Expert Help
This is often the advice you will hear from friends and family... "just rest and take some painkillers".
In the long term, this very rarely works for people later in life when trying to treat fall injuries.
While it is wise to minimize the stress on your injured ankle, or wrist, to avoid making an injury worse. This should be combined with arranging an appointment as soon as possible with a medical expert like an expert physical therapist.
In nearly all cases, recovery from injury requires movement, stretches, and specific exercises, so if you follow the advice of resting until it's recovered, you will be waiting a long time.
Or, you might find the injury keeps coming back, or become more and more painful over time.
I'm sure you know someone who seems to be always struggling with a knee, back, neck, or shoulder problem - it's because they never get the right help, so never truly fix the problem!
Perform Gentle Stretches And Exercises From Your Physical Therapist
Exercises and stretches from a physical therapist can help you recover from injuries faster after a slip, trip, or fall. These exercises and stretches will make your body stronger, reduce pain, and help you heal faster.
Physical therapy exercises also focus on restoring your flexibility and mobility, strengthening the muscles that support the injured area, and improving your overall balance.
This is incredibly important for patients after a fall because naturally, they feel less confident on their feet, worry about future falls, and may even withdraw from activities that they used to enjoy.
The irony is those activities like going to pilates, outdoor walks, and playing with their grandchildren are vital for keeping us active in retirement - if you don't use it, you lose it.
If you have any questions about an exercise, you can find out whether exercises and stretches are the routes to a full, drug-free recovery from any winter-related injuries in a Free Injury Screening.
Get Natural Pain Relief, And Fully Recover From Injuries
If you are currently recovering from an injury that's stopping you from moving comfortably, relying on painkillers, and are afraid of future falls, our team can help!
We work with lots of people struggling with chronic pain, injuries, and recovering from falls.
At Titan Physical Therapy, we have a range of natural pain relief treatment options, and proven strategies to help you get back to doing the things you love.
To discover what options are available to you, arrange a Free Injury Screening by completing our simple web form or by calling us on 859-303-6393.
Other Free Resources To Help You Stay Active, Healthy and Pain-Free
Arrange a FREE telephone consultation or take our Fall Risk Quiz
Download Our Free Knee Pain Report - FREE knee pain report written by our founder, Avery Schroyer, which gives 6 proven ways to decrease your knee pain naturally
Read Our Blog - 9 Ways To Stay Healthy And Reduce Your Fall Risk
Read Our Blog - How To Improve Balance
You can also read some of the other fantastic free tips and quick guides on our website, or follow us on social media for regular top tips on Titan Physical Therapy Facebook.