Why do injuries swell

Treatment and prevention should help alleviate symptoms of swelling, but a person needs to receive treatment for any underlying health conditions they have to prevent or reduce future swelling. There are many explanations for why a person may have swollen feet. Some causes, such as a twisted or sprained ankle, are obvious.

Others might be…. Edema, or water retention, occurs when fluid builds up in the tissues of the body. Learn about edema here. Some causes of swollen legs and ankles are relatively harmless, while others can be more serious.

Discover the different causes and their associated…. Some causes of swollen hands include pregnancy, exercise, and fluid retention. Treatment depends on the underlying issue. Learn more about possible…. What causes swelling, and is it serious?

Medically reviewed by Alana Biggers, M. Causes and symptoms Tests Treatment Prevention Seeing a doctor Outlook Summary Swelling occurs when a part of the body increases in size, typically as a result of injury, inflammation, or fluid retention. Causes and symptoms. Share on Pinterest Sometimes, inflammation from an injury can lead to swelling. When to see a doctor. Latest news Scientists identify new cause of vascular injury in type 2 diabetes.

Adolescent depression: Could school screening help? Related Coverage. Why are my feet swollen? Medically reviewed by Deborah Weatherspoon, Ph. Swelling is any abnormal enlargement of a body part. It is typically the result of inflammation or a buildup of fluid.

Edema describes swelling in the tissue outside of the joint. Effusion describes swelling that is inside a joint, such as a swollen ankle or knee. Hemarthrosis is a condition where there is blood and swelling within a joint. This indicates either a ligament injury, such as an ACL tear or a fracture. Hemarthrosis is determined by removing some fluid from the joint with a needle. Acute refers to swelling that occurs within 24 hours of injury. If the swelling occurs within the first 2 hours, it is probably associated with hemarthrosis and should be checked out by a physician.

Chronic refers to swelling that occurs over a long period of time and can be difficult for an athlete to detect, but is very harmful if left untreated.

The body always responds to an injury with a predictable inflammatory response, as the first step towards healing. Redness, heat, swelling and pain are associated with this first stage. Redness and heat are caused by increased blood flow. Swelling is the result of the increased movement of fluid and white blood cells into the injured area. The release of chemicals and the compression of nerves in the area of injury cause pain.

The pain and swelling can keep the athlete from using the injured part, serving to protect it from further injury. Late swelling is almost always harmful, as those same enzymes have already done their job and now attack healthy tissue.

The bottom line is that there is a wonderful and mysterious balance between when is swelling good, and when is swelling bad. The question for doctors and patients is: What is the timing for swelling reduction, and what is the optimal way to do it? With advances in technology, we will get better at exposing the injured tissue to the optimal components of swelling for just the right amount of time. During the last few hundred years of medical science, we have figured out how to intervene with very bold strokes in many problems.

For example, we have anti-inflammatory drugs. If you hit something with an anti-inflammatory today, you hit ALL the tissues in the body. The entire patient gets that hammer of anti-inflammatories. Even if you have a little tooth infection, you are bombing your entire body with antibiotics—and that upsets the balance in the system. To add to the complexity, the truth is that we have limited ways of controlling what happens when you use both heat and elevation, ice and elevation, or an anti-inflammatory and ice.

The next big leap will be targeted interventions. What you might be able to do for an injury is take an anti-inflammatory within the first three minutes, then a stimulating factor the next three minutes, and then another factor the next three minutes. Or three seconds. Or three microseconds. Again, we are just figuring out the timing optimization curve. But we are not far from understanding how to sequentially add factors, and create beneficial interactions in a cycle of healing.

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