Pain is your body’s way of telling you to rest an injured area. Whether you have hurt an elbow, hand, foot, or knee, limiting its use will prevent further injury and help you heal.

Applying ice right after an injury helps prevent swelling and reduce pain. Don’t place ice directly on your skin.

• Wrap a cold pack or bag of ice in a thin cloth. Place it over the injured area.

• Ice for  10 minutes every  3 hours. Don’t ice for more than  20 minutes at a time.

Putting pressure (compression) on an injury helps prevent swelling and provides support.

• Wrap the injured area firmly with an elastic bandage. If your hand or foot tingles, becomes discolored, or feels cold to the touch, the bandage may be too tight. Rewrap it more loosely.

• If your bandage becomes too loose, rewrap it.

• Do not wear an elastic bandage overnight.

Keeping an injury elevated helps reduce swelling, pain, and throbbing. Elevation is most effective when the injury is kept elevated higher than the heart.

Call your healthcare provider if you notice any of the following:

• Fingers or toes feel numb, are cold to the touch, or change color.

• Skin looks shiny or tight.

• Pain, swelling, or bruising worsens and is not improved with elevation.