What you can do to be a part of the solution

• Apply topical ibuprofen to inflamed zones that have been identified before you go to bed at night and when you get up in the morning. It may also be useful to apply it before and after you engage in any strenuous activity that will affect the involved tissues.

• If additional relief is necessary, a 10-minute crushed ice pack (crushed ice in a damp towel) may be applied at two-hour intervals. Hot baths, hot showers, Finnish saunas, or hot Jacuzzi soaks may also be useful, but localizedheat applications must be avoided. These include hot packs, heating pads, or heating lamps. They are a problem because they pull the blood from the deep tissues and bring it up to the surface, further reducing enzyme action and facilitating the increase of inflammatory chemical build-up.

• Be careful to avoid stressing involved tissues for roughly two-weeks. It takes two- weeks for the tissues to outlive the sensitizing effects of bradykinin; it takes two- weeks for the tissues to toughen up to a normal level.

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