Bones & Joints
Muscle Injuries (Sprains and Strains)
Treat sprains and strains with immediate positioning (find least-painful position, hold 2 minutes), then contrast hot-cold immersion (superior to ice alone for wrist/ankle/elbow — often halves recovery time), bromelain (125-450 mg 3x daily), herbal liniment, and specific rehabilitation exercises.
Also known as: sprain, strain, muscle strain, ligament sprain, soft tissue injury
📝 At a glance
Likely root causes: Excessive lifting, sudden stops or turns, falls, sports injuries, awkward movements.; Muscles used too long, too hard, or suddenly twisted.; Contact sports most likely to cause sprains..
First thing to try: Immediately: Move the injured part slowly until you find the position that hurts the least.
See a doctor if: See a doctor if symptoms are severe, persistent, or worsening, or if you are unsure — natural supports are meant to complement, not replace, professional care.
🔎 Start with the cause
Lasting relief rarely comes from covering a symptom. First find what is feeding the problem, change what you can, and then help the body do what it was designed to do — heal.
Likely root causes
- Excessive lifting, sudden stops or turns, falls, sports injuries, awkward movements.
- Muscles used too long, too hard, or suddenly twisted.
- Contact sports most likely to cause sprains.
Change what you can
- Immediately: Move the injured part slowly until you find the position that hurts the least.
- Hold it there for 2 minutes while breathing deeply.
- Then slowly return to normal position.
- For mild sprains, this may suffice.
- Contrast hydrotherapy (best for wrist, elbow, ankle, once any initial swelling has settled): Place the injured part in comfortably hot water (around 40 C / 104 F, tested with the hand first, never hot enough to redden skin) for 20-30 minutes.
- Every few minutes, take it out and plunge into cold water for 1 minute, then back into hot.
- Keep the hot water hot.
- Continue up to 2 hours.
- Repeat for several days.
- This can halve recovery time versus ice alone.
- For back or shoulder strains: apply a fomentationA hot, moist cloth pressed on the body — classic hydrotherapy. How to make a fomentation → cloth wrung out hot but not scalding (test it on your forearm first), follow with a brief cool application, and massage gently.
- Bromelain: Take 125-450 mg 3 times daily on an empty stomach — significantly speeds healing of contusions, sprains, and soft tissue injuries.
- (Natural source: fresh pineapple.) Diet and minerals: Calcium (1,500-2,000 mg), magnesium (750-1,000 mg), manganese (15 mg), and a multivitamin daily.
- Fresh raw vegetable juices.
- Purchase from a health-food store.
- Herbal liniment: Mix 2 oz. each of lobelia fluid extract and cayenne, combine with 1 tsp. each of oil of spearmint, rosemary, and wormwood.
- Apply and cover with a hot-water bottle.
- Or apply Kloss liniment: 2 oz. myrrh, 1 oz. goldenseal, ½ oz. cayenne.
- Other herbal helps: Apple cider vinegar compresses, ginger teaA warm drink made by steeping herbs in hot water. How to make a tea → poulticeMashed plant material applied right on the skin. How to make a poultice →, boswellia for inflammationThe body's natural response to injury — like redness, swelling, or heat around a sore spot. More →, burdock poultice, yellow dock compressA cloth soaked in warm or cold liquid, held on the skin. How to make a compress →, orange peel bound over the sprain.
- Rehabilitation exercises for ankle: 'Trace the alphabet' with your foot while sitting or standing (holding support) — works all ligaments and prevents adhesions.
- Also towel exercise: pick up towel with toes.
- For shoulder: pendulum arm swings in a circle and figure eights.
🌿 Then assist nature: remedies & protocols
With the cause being addressed, these are the actual things people do for this — ranked by the community. Vote ▲ on what helped you and ▼ on what didn't, and open How to do it for the steps. Each shows two quick signals: Evidence (how much science backs it) and Gentleness (how safe and in keeping with whole, natural health).
★ Start here — our first-line pick, pinned for safety
This is a gentle, well-tolerated starting point for most sprains and strains once the first day or two of rest and ice has passed.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: Alternating hot and cold causes blood vessels to repeatedly widen and narrow, which may pump fresh blood and fluid through the injured tissue and help reduce swelling once the acute stage has passed.
- Wait until any acute swelling from the first 24-48 hours has begun to settle before starting.
- Place the injured wrist, elbow, or ankle in comfortably hot water for 3-4 minutes.
- Move it to cold water for 30-60 seconds.
- Repeat this hot-cold cycle for 20-30 minutes, always finishing on cold.
- Do this once or twice a day for several days as tolerated, watching for any increase in pain or swelling.
20-30 minutes per session · 1-2 times a day for several days
Caution: Do not use this on a possible fracture — an X-ray is needed first if there is extreme pain, major swelling, or inability to bear weight. People with diabetes, poor circulation, or numbness in the area should check with a doctor before using hot-cold contrast therapy. Stop if pain or swelling worsens instead of improving.
When to get help: Seek medical care promptly for extreme pain, an obvious deformity, inability to bear weight or move the joint, or numbness, since these can indicate a fracture or serious ligament tear.
Source: Traditional home health guide
Comments & experiences ▾
Also helps — ranked by the community (vote to reorder)
A good first step in the very first hours after injury, before moving on to contrast hydrotherapy in the days that follow.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: Finding the least painful position reduces immediate strain on the injured tissue, and rest, ice, compression, and elevation together limit swelling and protect the area during the first hours after injury.
- Right after the injury, slowly move the injured part until you find the position that hurts the least, and hold it there for about 2 minutes while breathing deeply.
- Slowly return to a normal resting position.
- Apply an ice pack wrapped in a towel for 15-20 minutes at a time, several times a day for the first 2-3 days.
- Wrap the area gently with an elastic compression bandage, not too tightly.
- Elevate the injured area above heart level when resting, especially at night.
15-20 minutes per ice application · Several times a day for the first 2-3 days
Caution: Compression that is too tight can cut off circulation — loosen the wrap if you notice numbness, tingling, or increased pain below it. Extreme pain, major swelling, or inability to bear weight needs an X-ray to rule out a fracture rather than home treatment alone.
When to get help: Seek medical care promptly for a visible deformity, inability to move or bear weight on the injured part, or numbness, since these can indicate a fracture or severe ligament tear.
Source: Traditional home health guide
Comments & experiences ▾
A supportive addition alongside rest, ice, and hydrotherapy, not a stand-alone treatment for the injury.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: Calcium and magnesium support normal muscle function, and a diet rich in fresh vegetables and fruit supplies vitamin C and other nutrients involved in collagen and tissue repair.
- Include a calcium source such as dairy, fortified plant milk, or leafy greens daily.
- Add magnesium-rich foods like nuts, seeds, and whole grains to meals.
- Drink fresh vegetable juice or eat a variety of colorful vegetables for vitamin C and other nutrients that support healing.
- Keep meals balanced with a source of protein to support tissue repair.
- Continue this pattern throughout the healing period, which can take days to weeks depending on severity.
Ongoing daily eating pattern · Every day during recovery
Caution: This dietary support does not replace proper first aid or medical evaluation for a suspected fracture or complete ligament tear. People with kidney disease should check with a doctor before significantly increasing mineral supplement intake.
When to get help: Seek medical care for extreme pain, major swelling, inability to bear weight, or a visibly deformed joint.
Source: Traditional home health guide
Comments & experiences ▾
How the numbers work: a weighted voting system — trusted published sources cast endorsement votes for each protocol, and your ▲/▼ adds to them. Not medical advice.
🩺 When to see a doctor
- See a doctor if symptoms are severe, persistent, or worsening, or if you are unsure — natural supports are meant to complement, not replace, professional care.
🌿 The seven pathways to health
Seven pathways for your muscle injuries (sprains and strains) — tap the circle to check one off (saved on your device), or ask Remy for help.
“Disease is an effort of nature to free the system from conditions that result from a violation of the laws of health... In case of sickness 1cause should be ascertained, 2go to work intelligently to remove the disease. 3Unhealthful conditions should be changed, 4wrong habits corrected. 5Then nature is to be assisted in her effort 6to expel impurities and 7to re-establish right conditions in the system.”
🌿 Overview
Sprains (stretched or torn ligaments) and strains (overstressed muscles) are among the most common injuries from sports, lifting, falls, or sudden movements. Immediate treatment significantly affects recovery time. Contrast hydrotherapy (alternating hot and cold immersion) is superior to ice alone for most sprains — research shows it can halve recovery time for ankle sprains. Bromelain from fresh pineapple accelerates healing of soft tissue injuries.
Muscle and ligament injuries — strains (overstretched or torn muscles and tendons) and sprains (overstretched or torn ligaments) — happen with sudden stops, twists, falls, or overuse. They cause pain, swelling, bruising, and reduced movement, ranging from mild overstretching to more significant tears, most often at the ankles, knees, wrists, and back.
Most mild to moderate injuries heal well with the familiar early approach of rest, ice, compression, and elevation in the first day or two, followed by gentle movement and a gradual return to activity rather than prolonged immobility, with warmth and gentle strengthening later to rebuild the tissue. Easing back in gradually helps prevent re-injury. An injury with severe pain, marked swelling, an inability to bear weight or use the joint, an obvious deformity, or numbness should be assessed medically to rule out a fracture or a serious tear that may need specific treatment, so significant injuries are not simply 'walked off.'
Common signs
- First degree: Mild pain, little loss of movement.
- Second degree: Sharp pain with motion, swelling, possible bruising.
- Third degree: Severe pain, significant swelling, spasmodic muscle contraction.
- Sprains: joint pain and instability.
- Strains: muscle pain and weakness.
- Both may have swelling and bruising.
🍃 Supporting foods & habits
The gentle, everyday foods and supports that help in the background — secondary to the active remedies above. Vote on what helped you.
How the numbers work: this is a weighted voting system — every published book or article recommending a remedy counts as an endorsement vote, and your ▲/▼ counts too. Not medical advice. *Ties are broken by our editor score (sources, safety, simplicity, cost, lifestyle fit, eight-laws alignment).
🍽️ Eating to help
Food is one of the gentlest medicines — small, steady changes help most.
Fresh raw vegetable juices. Calcium and magnesium-rich foods. Pineapple (bromelain). Anti-inflammatory diet. Ginger tea. Adequate water.
⚖️ Good to know
- Third-degree sprains with extreme pain, major swelling, and inability to bear weight should be X-rayed to rule out fracture.
- Complete ligament tears may require surgical repair.
- Do not return to activity too soon — re-injury worsens healing.
- If significant swelling occurs, see a physician.
- For very severe strains, a cast similar to a fracture cast may be needed for immobilization.
⚕️ What a doctor may offerConventional treatments for this condition — for your information.Show ▾
RemedyRank's heart is natural healing — and honest information. Here is what conventional medical care commonly involves for this condition, listed to inform, never to promote. Decisions about treatment belong with you and your own physician.
Muscle injuries (sprains/strains) are treated with RICE and graded recovery.
Commonly offered
- Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation early–
- OTC pain relievers–
- Gradual return with stretching and strengthening–
- Physical therapy for severe injuries–
Worth knowing
- Inability to use the limb or a deformity may mean a serious tear — get checked.
- No improvement in a few days warrants evaluation.
- Returning too soon causes re-injury.
👍/👎 shares whether a treatment helped you — community experience, not medical advice. For full professional details, see the sources under “Learn more” below.
📚 Learn more
Sources for further reading. These open in a new tab.
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