5 ways to treat pain at home

Pain from injury, accident, or illness can happen to anyone at any time. You can do a number of things at home to feel better. But go to a doctor if it suddenly gets worse or changes — especially if there’s tingling, numbness, or burning — or if nothing you try makes you feel better. […]

Pain from injury, accident, or illness can happen to anyone at any time. You can do a number of things at home to feel better. But go to a doctor if it suddenly gets worse or changes — especially if there’s tingling, numbness, or burning — or if nothing you try makes you feel better.

RICE. It stands for rest, ice, compress, and elevate, and it’s the go-to treatment for minor sprains and bruising. Ice the injury as soon as possible and put pressure on it with an elastic wrap or bandage. If you’ve hurt an arm or leg, rest with it raised above your heart to keep swelling down. But don’t stay in one place too long — it’s best to get moving again as soon as you can.

 Water. Use it to clean cuts and scrapes and to treat burns. If you’re dealing with a burn, put the injured area in cool water or cover it with a cold compress as soon as you can. If your skin blisters, leaks fluid, loses feeling, or turns black, brown, or white, get medical help right away.

 Multi-purpose washcloth. Wrap it around a bag of frozen vegetables or a plastic bag filled with ice cubes for a comfortable ice pack that can help with the swelling and pain that comes with sprains or strains. A warm, damp one also can be used to treat many kinds of infections, like a boil, an infected cut, or a stye — an infected eyelash that causes a red, sore lump on your eyelid. Or use a cool one to ease the itchiness and pain of pinkeye.

 Over-the-counter anti-inflammatories. These medications include aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen. They’re often used to treat the pain that comes with inflammation, like sprains. You don’t need a prescription, but you should be careful with them: Large doses can cause stomach pain and nausea, and long-term overuse can lead to kidney problems, ulcers, and high blood pressure. If you have stomach ulcers or kidney disease, talk with your doctor first.

Courtesy: WebMD