Introduction
Almost as relevant as the knowledge about the ideal training plan and a balanced diet is the basic knowledge about sports injuries for athletes. Especially professional athletes who demand top performance from their bodies and highly motivated, rather untrained occasional athletes are particularly affected by injuries. But what do you do when it suddenly tears and hurts?
The PECH rule has proven to be a simple principle for first aid. Easy to remember by its initial letters and easy to apply by anyone, even far away from the doctor and hospital, this rule offers an ideal reference point for the treatment of almost all sports injuries. The P stands for the break that should be taken immediately after the injury has occurred.
In order to prevent further consequential damages and to keep the extent of the injury as small as possible, the injured body part must not be loaded further under any circumstances. Ice – i.e. adequate cooling – is the second step. To avoid frostbite, it is important not to place the ice directly on the skin.
If pure ice is not available, cold water or cooled bandages can also help. Which brings the third letter into play: C for compression, which can both relieve pain and reduce further bleeding into the surrounding tissue, thus keeping any bruising small from the start. Finally, one should think of the H, which stands for elevation of the affected body part. Straight arms or legs can and should ideally be elevated to facilitate the drainage of blood and lymph fluid and thus keep swelling to a minimum.
DurationHow long?
And how long should a supply be provided according to the PECH rule? Is there a limit to the duration? Yes!
While the measures of the PECH-rule are not harmful in themselves and can be tried out on healthy people without any risk, it is nevertheless important to observe certain time frames, for example to avoid damage to skin and tissue through cooling. The affected part of the body can and should be spared without interruption (pause). You should cool as often as possible, but only for a period of about 10 minutes (ice).
It is important never to place the ice directly on the injured area – in the worst case, the tissue may freeze to death. A towel or a piece of cloth allows sufficient cold to pass through, but at the same time protects the skin. Between several cooling phases, it is possible to wait a little before cooling again for another 10 minutes.
The compression bandage, on the other hand, can remain on the injured part of the body for as long as necessary (compression). However, the blood supply must be carefully monitored: Sufficient blood circulation must be guaranteed at all times! Under no circumstances should body parts be tied off.
If the body under or behind the bandage becomes pale and cold or even starts to tingle, the compression should be released immediately; it was then wrapped too tightly. In the end, just like compression, elevating the body should also be done long and persistently, but not until the blood circulation fails. The same basic rule applies as explained above: If the body part tingles or becomes pale and cold, a change of position is advisable.
In case of injury, the person affected often notices for himself/herself which position is the least painful and chooses this position. All of the above only applies to the acute phase immediately after the injury. This phase usually lasts a maximum of 2 days.
In the case of minor injuries, a significant improvement in the symptoms should then be noticeable. On the other hand, if there is no improvement on the 2nd day despite all the measures of the PECH rule, a doctor should be consulted. The injury may be worse than initially thought and a first aid treatment on your own is not sufficient. The attending physician will then advise you on how to proceed, such as how long you should pause training and at what point alternative sports (e.g. swimming) may become a training option again.