Injury often causes local swelling because the fluid that flows through the blood vessels seeps out and gets accumulated in the surrounding tissues. Usually, swelling and pain get cured naturally in a day or two, but if the injury causes damage to ligaments, cartilage or bones, it becomes necessary to consult a professional medical practitioner. A few simple measures can easily get rid of swelling and pain caused by local injuries. You should never exert the portion of your body that has got hurt. Do not walk or move your legs excessively, as this will only cause the swelling to increase. Using crutches to move about is also an option if your injured leg hurts too badly. Resting the injured part of your body is crucial to healing it naturally. However, staying immobile for too long may also cause body fluid to get accumulated in a specific part of the body, which may increase the swelling. You should lift your leg up and down slowly and not too high every couple of hours. This will ensure proper blood circulation in your leg and prevent it from getting swollen further. You could also get someone else to do this for you so that you do not have to strain the injured muscles by trying to lift your leg.
You should also apply cold compresses to the injured portion. For this, you should soak a pad of cotton wool in a bowl of ice cold water or simply wrap up a few ice cubes in a towel and tie it up tightly using some gauze or an elastic band around your leg. Remove this cold compress after 15 minutes and repeat the process every three or four hours. This greatly helps reduce pain and swelling. In addition, before going to bed every night, you should also soak your injured foot in a tub of warm water to which a tablespoon of Epsom salt has been added. The natural anti-inflammatory property of Epsom salts helps treat swelling caused by injury and relieves pain in a day or two. You should also massage the injured foot very gently with slightly warmed mustard oil at bedtime every night. This helps ease the pain and reduce swelling. Drinking a cup of ginger tea thrice a day is also known to be an effective natural remedy for swelling. For another remedy, crush a handful of cassia leaves till the point that they start oozing, and massage this juice over the injured foot for a few minutes. This will lessen the swelling in a few hours.
answered by G M