How do you treat a soft tissue injury?

Key points

• Ankle sprains account for up to 10% of attendances at emergency departments
• Rest, ice, compression and elevation (RICE) is the cornerstone of treatment of soft tissue injuries
• For those requiring pain relief, paracetamol should be used as a first step
• NSAID use may impede the inflammatory phase of healing
• Gastro-intestinal symptoms are experienced by 10%-30% of people using NSAIDs

Let’s discuss

• How do you treat a soft tissue injury? What advice would you give a patient presenting with a sprained ankle?
• What analgesia would you recommend for pain?
• After reading this article summarise the arguments against using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) to treat soft tissue injury?
• What drugs could you recommend as an alternative to NSAID?

You can email questions to Eileen.shepherd@emap.com or tweet @eileenshepherd

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