New online tool explains how to treat minor injuries

• There were 25,638,234 A&E visits to hospitals in the 12 months leading up to January 2020 in England alone
• Up to 30% of A&E visits aren’t required, according to NHS England (2017)
• Cold therapy expert Biofreeze has created an interactive online tool to help Britons determine whether a ‘hot’ or ‘cold’ treatment is the best course of action to help remedy minor injuries
• The tool also suggests the best exercises to try out whilst recovering from said injuries

The cold therapy experts at www.Biofreeze.co.uk have created the ‘Hot VS Cold’ online tool (www.HotVSCold.co.uk) in a bid to help Britons understand the best way to correctly treat some of the most common small injuries that they might pick up in their day-to-day lives or by playing sport; such as ankle sprains, rotator cuff injuries and even headaches.

This online tool comes following the move from R.I.C.E (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation) to P.O.L.I.C.E. (Protect, Optimum Loading, Ice, Compression and Elevation), which encourages movement for small injuries within the first few days. Education on injuries has taught us that the original method encourages too much rest, which can actually lead to decreased muscle strength and flexibility.

Cold treatments and therapies assist with new injuries that may be swollen and inflamed, strained or bruised. They are designed to reduce blood flow, helping to ease swelling and minimise damage to the soft tissue in the injured area. This is the most common form of treatment for most minor injuries within the first 24 hours. Some will require an initial rest period, while some will require small or isometric movements which contract the affected muscles.

Britons aren’t encouraged to switch to ‘hot’ treatments until after 72 or more hours, but those that do will benefit from increased blood flow, with opened blood vessels transporting oxygen and nutrients to the injured area for repair.

All the user has to do is answer two simple questions in order to get some general treatment advice on their injury:

• Where have you injured yourself?
• What type of injury have you sustained?

After answering these, the user will be told the best treatments for their injury and the best exercises to carry out, where applicable.

Hot VS Cold can be found at www.HotVSCold.co.uk.

Bharat Gohil, spokesperson for www.Biofreeze.co.uk, commented:  “With so many people attending A&E for minor injuries and the NHS really feeling the strain, we wanted to create something handy, informative and educational that can help many Britons, from those struggling with sports injuries to niggles they’ve picked up in everyday life. Many people don’t know how to treat their injuries and how best to speed up the recovery process, but hopefully Hot VS Cold can help them make the right decision.”