Sprains aren’t as serious as a broken bone, but you might not know it. They can be equally painful, sometimes taking weeks or even months to improve.
Sprains occur when tendons (which connect muscle to bone) or ligaments (which connect bone to bone) get stretched beyond their ability to bounce back. These tough, fibrous tissues are notoriously slow to heal. About the only thing that helps is to increase blood flow to the injured area, something the Native Americans learned to do in a variety of ways.
One of the best ways to help a sprain heal is to rub and massage the area. According to historian Virgil J. Vogel, the Cherokee were masters of massage, and this was probably their first choice for treating sprains.
The Native Americans also knew the wisdom of immobilizing severe sprains. They often used wrappings of rawhide or splints made from tree branches and twigs. Soothing poultices made from warm red clay or anti-inflammatory herbs such as arnica, bearberry, mullein, yarrow, and wormwood also eased pain.
According to one European doctor, the Native Americans treated sprains and broken bones with a skill that “equaled and in some respects exceeded that of their white contemporaries.”
Historians don’t know the exact details of the Native American treatment for sprains. However, the herbalist David Hoffmann has developed a natural technique for easing sprains that he believes is very similar to that used by Native Americans, though most tribes may have used cold compresses, not ice.
• Apply ice to a sprain as soon after the injury as possible. Wrap the ice in a cloth or plastic bag to prevent damage to the skin and hold it against the sprain for about 20 minutes. This will constrict blood vessels and help reduce swelling later on.
• Bring a pint of water to a boil and add two ounces of rosemary or thyme, herbs that stimulate circulation. (Herbs such as bearberry, mullein, yarrow, wormwood, and arnica can also be used.) Let the mixture simmer for about 15 minutes, then set aside to cool. Soak a cloth in the solution and wrap it around the injured area. Change and resoak the dressing every four hours until the pain begins to subside.
• Once the pain subsides, soak a strip of gauze in witch hazel, available in pharmacies, and wrap it around the injured area.
In addition to treating sprains externally, it’s also helpful to treat them from the inside with bearberry tea, drinking up to three cups a day.
This How To Heal a Sprained Ankle article is taken from :
Healing Secrets of the Native Americans - Porter Shimer
