So...why is inflammation such a problem?

In general our bodies are amazing machines that know how to heal themselves. Yet, nothing is "perfect" and sometimes this process doesn't goes as planned, causing inflammation and swelling which can be problematic.

For example: Meet Emily, a runway model. Last month she took part in a fashion show and wore extremely high heels. As you can all imagine the unthinkable happened, she tripped and fell on the runway. Beside the embarrassment and the shame she felt, her knee began to swell and become inflamed.

This swelling is result of the injury to her knee and effects her whole body. When Emily fell and banged her knee, her body sprang into action and began the healing process. However, the inflammation that ensued started placing pressure on the nerves in the area, preventing the lymphatic fluids from removing the dead cells around the injury.

(Lymph nodes are the bodies cleaning system, their purpose is to extract all the dead cells and junk that our body collects).

Since Emily has a lot of "dead cells" around her knee, this inflammation is preventing them from being extracted and slowing down the healing process.

The solution:

There are many things one can do within the first hours of being injured to prevent swelling and speed up the healing process. We will talk about some of the easiest and most convenient ways to do so:

1. ICE- placing ice over the infected area freezes the cells and prevents swelling

2. Elevate - when elevating the effected area pressure is taken of the injury and blood flow is increased

3. Kinesio Taping - Kinesio is a revolutionary tape that increases the flow of the lymph fluids in the area preventing swelling and expediting the healing process, which is why we can see so many athletes using it

4. Lymphatic Massage - a specific massage technique utilizing the lymphatic flow to clean the area from inside, allowing the new cells to come and heal the body

While majority of these treatments can be done at home it's best to see a professional in order to properly asses and heal the injury.