There are plenty of options which can be used to reduce your swollen muscle or joint.
Some physiotherapists like to use tubigrip, which delivers compression to the swollen area. Others may still encourage you to apply ice. Seeking medical advice for the use of drugs such as anti-inflammatory medications can also be a useful choice.
One of my personal favourites would be the use of kineseotape to reduce swelling.
In my previous blog, I explained the use of kineseotape in the reduction of pain in acute injuries. Kineseotape can also be applied to help drain fluid.
You can see that it needs to be applied in what we call a “jellyfish” application.
Although research has not confirmed this, the theory is that the change in pressure gradients from the tape encourages fluid to drain from the injured body part.
It is often the modality of choice for reducing swelling as it is very comfortable to have on and more convenient for patients.
Perhaps this is something you can consider next time you have swelling in any of your muscles or joints.