Inflammation

What Is Acute Inflammation?  
Inflammation is the body’s normal protective response to an injury, irritation or surgery. This natural defense process brings increased blood flow to the area, resulting in an accumulation of fluid to progress the healing process . As the body mounts this protective response, the symptoms of inflammation develop. These include:
• Swelling
• Pain
• Increased warmth and redness of the skin
Inflammation can be acute or chronic. When it is acute, it occurs as an immediate response to trauma (an injury or surgery), usually within two hours.

When it is chronic, the inflammation reflects an ongoing response to a longer-term medical condition, such as arthritis, and tendonopathies whereby the body has difficulty in healing the tissue causing a chronic inflammatory response .
Although inflammation can also be caused by an infection, they are not the same and are treated differently. Our expert team of podiatrists can best determine the cause of your inflammed tissue.
Treatment
To reduce inflammation and the resulting swelling and pain, injured tissue needs to be properly treated. The earlier you start treatment, the better.
Initial treatment for acute inflammation in the foot or ankle consists of RICE therapy:
• Rest: Stay off the foot or ankle. Walking may cause further injury.
• Ice: Apply an ice pack to the injured area, placing a thin towel between the ice and the skin. Use ice for 20 minutes and then wait at least 40 minutes before icing again.
• Compression: An elastic wrap should be used to control swelling.
• Elevation: The foot or ankle should be raised slightly above the level of your heart to reduce swelling.
NSADS are one option, but are not always suitable for everyone, and can have concerning side effect. Other safer options includes low level laser.

Cheltenham Podiatry has a expert acute injury clinic where low level laser is applied immediately to the injury . This treatment is very effective in reducing inflammation, pain and speeds healing and is also recommended for conditioning prior and post surgical procedures . The quicker it is applied after the injury/ procedure the better the response.

Inflammation due to a chronic condition can be treated in various ways depending on the mechanics, injured tissue , age and health .
Cheltenham Podiatry is a leader in treatment of lower limb chronic inflammatory/ pain conditions that fail standard care. High end onsite ultrasound provides speedy diagnosis and the availability of regenerative treatments – low level laser ( painless treatment that uses light absorbing chromophores in the body ), and prolotherapy , prp/ orthokine – utilising ultrasound guidance for best outcomes .