Grade II Ankle Sprains - First Aid RICE Treatment Methods - Long Term Treatment Options

1.) Grade II Ankle Sprain Involves

A.) Moderate tearing of the ligaments fibers
B.) Moderate level of instability
C.) Pain, moderate to severe and difficulty in ambulation (walking).
D.) Bruising, at least to a minor degree may be self evident

2.) Treatment of a Sprained Ankle

When you look at your treatment options you will see that their are immediate first aid options and then there is a longer term rehabilitation and strengthening focus.

A.) Immediate First Aid for a sprained ankle (R.I.C.E.)

Your first thought should be to reduce any swelling by the R.I.C.E. method. This is an acronym that stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, & Elevation) as soon as possible.

• "R" stands for rest. It is important to rest your involved ankle to reduce discomfort and prevent the damage from getting worse. You can use crutches if necessary.

• "I" is for ice, or a similar cold therapy. This can help to reduce swelling, reduce bleeding (in initial stages) and actually promote blood flow (when used later). Apply an ice pack or cold therapy unit immediately following an injury to your ankle for 15 minutes. Then repeat this every two hours.

• "C" stands for compression - This component of the R.I.C.E. method will help to reduce bleeding and also helps to reduce swelling. For more information on how to wrap your ankle, do a search for a "Louisiana" wrap.

• "E" stands for Elevation - Use gravity in your favor and held to reduce bleeding and swelling by allowing fluids to move away from the site of an injury. Put your feet up and get some you know to wait on you!

B.) Long Term Treatment Methods - Therapy, Surgery, Ankle Braces

Some people can get by with physical therapy, and sometimes surgery is needed to help treat an extremely injured ligament. Another very good idea for a grade II ligament sprain is to use the support that an ankle brace can provide. This is no joke. These supports can help reduce your pain, improve stability, and help to stop you from reinjuring your ankle sprain. When you help to eliminate the ability to keep reinjuring your sprain, you will then be able to promote healing. - You should not look back wishing you would have done more for yourself, while your ankle problem was only a moderate one. You should seriously think about getting support for your ankle today.

*This is health information, remember to speak to your doctor about health advice.

Firepit Cooking Options

A firepit can be a magical place for many reasons. As children, it can be one of the first places we are actually allowed to cook with fire. We learn to roast hot dogs, make s'mores and other tasty treats. We see the older kids accidentally get the marshmallow too close to the fire and create a fiery meteor that we think is utterly amazing and have to try for our self. Most of us learned to cook with a stick but there are other great methods for cooking as well.

To be fair the stick method is a tried and true method for cooking anything over an open flame. It is typically used with marshmallows and hot dogs. Both children and adults can easily accomplish the task which is great for family activities.

For larger gatherings or when you might want to cook a larger variety of foods you can try placing a grate above the fire pit. Some fire pits have these built in or if you have a naturalistic fire pit you can purchase a tray that elevates the grate above the flames. This is ideal for foods such as hamburgers or chicken breasts.

If you want to get really fancy and try rotisserie or even a pig there are skewers that can be placed over the flame. This is similar to the tray with the exception that there is a skewer. Some models feature a hand crank or even come with a small motor to automate the task.

When it comes to cooking food over a fire pit there are several different methods for helping you heat up your tasty treats. The option that works best depends on the type of food and how involved you want to be in the process.