Natural treatments for minor injuries
Natural treatments for minor injuries, such as bruises, sprains, and minor fractures, encompass a range of herbal remedies, supplements, and dietary components aimed at promoting healing and reducing discomfort. Among the principal treatments are proteolytic enzymes, which are believed to help decrease inflammation and swelling, although research results on their effectiveness have been mixed. Other proposed natural remedies include bioflavonoids, calcium, vitamin D, and specific herbs like comfrey, which may assist in recovery when applied topically.
Additionally, substances such as oligomeric proanthocyanidins (found in grape seed and pine bark) and homeopathic options like Arnica are explored for their potential to accelerate healing. Supplements like creatine and glucosamine may contribute to muscle recovery and pain management, particularly in the context of injury. The use of vitamins, such as vitamin C, alongside other dietary supplements, may also play a role in improving recovery outcomes. Overall, these natural treatments provide diverse options for individuals seeking alternatives to conventional methods for managing minor injuries, while emphasizing the importance of further research to validate their efficacy and safety.
Natural treatments for minor injuries
DEFINITION: Treatment of minor injuries, specifically bruises, minor fractures, and sprains.
PRINCIPAL PROPOSED NATURAL TREATMENT: Proteolytic enzymes
OTHER PROPOSED NATURAL TREATMENTS: Bioflavonoids (citrus bioflavonoids and oxerutins), calcium and vitamin D, comfrey (topical only), creatine, glucosamine, homeopathic Arnica, horse chestnut, oligomeric proanthocyanidins, vitamin C
Introduction
All people are likely to injure themselves sometime during their lives. Although minor injuries such as bruises and sprains will heal without treatment, they can be quite unpleasant. Discussed here are injuries such as bruises, minor fractures, and sprains. Other forms of minor injury, however, include minor burns, minor wounds, back pain, and more chronic soft tissue injuries.
Conventional treatment for minor sprains and strains involves anti-inflammatory drugs, icing, and, in some cases, physical therapy. Bruises are sometimes treated with ultrasound, although there is no meaningful evidence that it really helps.
Principal Proposed Natural Treatments
Proteolytic enzymes. Proteolytic enzymes help digest the proteins in food. The pancreas produces the proteolytic enzymes trypsin and chymotrypsin, such as papain and bromelain, which are found in foods. Proteolytic enzymes are primarily used as digestive aids for people who have trouble digesting proteins. When taken by mouth, proteolytic enzymes appear to be absorbed internally to a certain extent, and they might reduce inflammation and swelling. Several small studies have found proteolytic enzyme combinations helpful for the treatment of minor injuries. However, the best and largest trial failed to find benefit. Most studies have involved proteolytic enzymes combined with citrus bioflavonoids, which are also thought to decrease swelling.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled study of forty-four persons with sports-related ankle injuries found that treatment with a proteolytic enzyme and bioflavonoid combination resulted in faster healing and reduced the time away from training by about 50 percent. Based on these and other results, a large (721-participant) double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of people with ankle sprains was undertaken to compare placebo with bromelain, trypsin, or rutin (a bioflavonoid), separately or in combination. None of the treatments, alone or together, proved more effective than placebo.
Three other small double-blind studies involving about eighty athletes found that treatment with proteolytic enzymes significantly speeded healing of bruises and other mild athletic injuries compared with placebo. In another double-blind trial, one hundred people were given an injection of their own blood under the skin to simulate bruising following an injury. Researchers found that treatment with a proteolytic enzyme combination significantly speeded recovery. However, most older studies fall beneath modern design and reporting standards.
Proteolytic enzymes may help heal infected wounds by attacking bacteria's protective fibrinous coagulum, allowing antibiotics to penetrate the bacteria's shield. Proteolytic enzymes also aid in breaking down necrotic tissue. Some of the most commonly used proteolytic enzyme supplements include Ficin, Bromelain, Chymotrypsin, Serrapeptase, and Trypsin.
Other Proposed Natural Treatments
Oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs), substances found in grape seed and pine bark, have shown promise for the treatment of minor injuries. A ten-day, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of fifty people found that OPCs improved the rate at which edema disappeared following sports injuries. Also, a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of sixty-three women with breast cancer found that 600 milligrams of OPCs daily for six months reduced postoperative edema and pain. Similarly, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of thirty-two people who had cosmetic surgery on the face, swelling disappeared much faster in the treated group.
Preliminary evidence from a poorly reported double-blind trial of forty college football players suggests that combining vitamin C and citrus bioflavonoids taken before practice can reduce the severity of athletic injuries. Another small placebo-controlled study suggests that an oral combination product containing vitamin C, calcium, potassium, proteolytic enzymes, rutin, and OPCs can slightly accelerate the healing of skin wounds. A double-blind study of people recovering from minor injuries, including minor surgery, found that bioflavonoid-like substances called oxerutins have similar effects. Vitamin C also appeared to be effective when combined with beta-carotene.
The herb horse chestnut is thought to have properties similar to those of citrus bioflavonoids. The active ingredient in horse chestnut is a substance called aescin. One double-blind study of seventy people found that about ten g of 2 percent aescin gel, applied externally to bruises in a single dose five minutes after the bruises were induced, reduced the tenderness of those bruises. Other research indicated potential positive results for wound healing in diabetic rats and in managing venous leg ulcers.
The herb comfrey is unsafe for internal use because of the presence of liver-toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids. However, topical use in moderation is believed to be safe. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 142 people with an ankle sprain, the use of comfrey gel resulted in more rapid recovery than placebo gel, according to pain, swelling, and mobility measurements.
The supplement creatine has shown some promise for preventing muscle weakness that commonly occurs when a limb is immobilized following injury or surgery. Other studies found creatine helpful in preserving muscle function, strength, and mass. However, research is conflicting concerning creatine's uses. For example, one study failed to find creatine helpful for restoring strength following arthroscopic knee surgery. Other studies failed to standardize creatine dosage, duration of treatment, and severity or type of illness treated, skewing study results. While creatine has the potential for treating injuries, further research is required to understand its application.
The supplement glucosamine might be helpful for people who experience knee pain from cartilage injury. In addition, one study found somewhat inconsistent evidence hinting that glucosamine might aid recovery from acute knee injuries experienced by competitive athletes. A small, double-blind, placebo-controlled study suggests that the use of calcium (one g daily) plus vitamin D (800 international units daily) may speed bone healing after fracture in people with osteoporosis. Another study found that the use of relaxation therapies to manage stress reduced the number of injury and illness days among competitive athletes.
One study failed to find that onion extract can help reduce scarring in the skin. Also, homeopathic forms of the herb Arnica are popular as a treatment for injuries, but studies suggest they are no more effective than placebo.
When minor injuries occur, there are natural options for pain relief. Boswellia, turmeric, white willow, and cloves were believed to provide natural pain relief for minor injuries. Natural treatment may also include acupuncture, compression, elevation, heat, and ice.
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