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Who among us has not twisted his leg at least once in his life? Ice, heel, sloppy movement – and a week in bed with an aching and swollen ankle. Many are familiar with the standard recommendation of doctors: immediately after an injury, apply ice and relieve swelling. However, according to Chinese medicine, treatment should not be aimed at “freezing” the injury, but at restoring the flow of energy in the affected limb.
Once I twisted my leg very badly: I literally “fell off” the curb in my heels. And the next day I had to fly to Europe with huge suitcases, and I understood: tomorrow I won’t be able to walk at all, not only with weights. And what to do in such a situation?
East or West?
The Western medical approach is to get the fastest possible effect from the treatment: cool the ankle, relieve swelling, reduce pain. However, in Chinese medicine, whose priority is planning for long-term results and the pursuit of longevity, cooling the affected area is considered an additional injury.
The muscles of the injured ankle spasm, protecting the joint from further impacts. As a result of spasm, the flow of energy (qi) in the affected area is limited. And the extra cold “seals” the injury, further limiting the flow of energy.
To increase the flow of qi in the injured ankle, it must be warmed up immediately after the injury.
That is why those injuries that have been cooled heal longer and subsequently, at any opportunity, make themselves felt. If you have elderly relatives, you most likely know a lot about their injured knees and ankles: “sealing” an injury allows a person to live more or less comfortably with it, but will not cure it completely.
In my situation, the fastest (western?) solution was needed. But after that, I was not ready to suffer for weeks with chronic ankle pain. Therefore, I chose the traditional oriental approach: warming up the affected area.
Treatment technology
To increase the flow of qi in the injured ankle, it must be warmed up immediately after the injury. The ideal solution would be active dry heat. Chinese medicine offers smokeless moxas for such cases: sticks made from pressed wormwood. It is necessary to set fire to such a stick and drive a smoldering tip at a short distance from the affected area, providing it with deep warming.
But what if there is no such tool at hand? A hot bath is a good substitute. Immerse your foot in hot water and hold until the foot turns red.
Essential oils for healing
To anesthetize an injured area, add peppermint, orange, and ylang-ylang essential oils to warm water. Enough five drops of essential “cocktail” on a basin of hot water.
An even deeper relaxation of the muscles of the foot and ankle joint will be provided by essential oils of chamomile, lavender and immortelle. Add five drops of the mixture to the basin.
You can enhance the effect of a warming bath with a gentle massage with sesame oil. After the bath, apply oil on the affected ankle with soft rubbing movements: there should be no sharp pain during the massage.
What not to do with the ankle
After an injury, in no case should you develop an ankle. All movements through the pain only increase the spasm, so the next day after the injury, use an elastic bandage. It should not be too tight: the purpose of fixation is to limit joint mobility while maintaining active blood flow.
Mobility exercise
In order for the ankle to recover faster, a simple exercise can be performed the day after the injury. The main condition: at any point in the movement you should not be hurt.
Sit on a table or any other surface so that your ankle hangs relaxed. Make circular motions with your foot: the big toe describes a small circle. Movement must be discrete. If the foot describes an even circle, then the ankle is not sufficiently relaxed, namely, deep relaxation of the joint area is the goal of this exercise.
Focus on the ankle, strive for a not very correct intermittent movement of the foot describing the circle. A fractional movement will indicate that the ankle muscles are relaxing, providing an additional influx of healing energy.
Expected Result
One must be prepared for the fact that the traditional Chinese approach to the treatment of ligamentous injuries – warming up and strengthening the flow of qi – immediately after the injury leads to an increase in edema and hematoma. From the point of view of an oriental doctor, this is a good sign: blood flows into the problem area and the healing process starts.
After spending the evening at the basin of hot water, the next day I got up, put on comfortable sneakers, took my suitcases, and went to the airport. My ankle was a bit of a pain, but I was able to walk, carry heavy weights if needed, walk a lot, and live an active life. The main plus of the treatment I recommend is that the ankle, well warmed up after an injury, becomes healthy again – once and for all.