Liniments are used in Chinese sports medicine to treat the ankle swelling you feel after swimming. If your ankle feels puffy, full, or restricted when you get out of the water and start moving around, repeated kicking, pointing your toes, and pushing off the pool wall can strain the ankle tendons and surrounding tissues, causing irritation and fluid buildup around the joint. Liniments are used to treat this ankle swelling by increasing circulation to the affected tissues.
In Chinese sports medicine, poor circulation is associated with blood stasis, also referred to as blood stagnation, which occurs when blood flow is disrupted in an injured area, causing blood and fluids to accumulate around the affected tissues and restricting the circulation needed to help those tissues recover properly.
When your ankle has been injured or overused, stagnant blood and fluids accumulate in your ankle and restrict circulation to the affected tendons, ligaments, and muscles, making it harder for those tissues to receive the oxygen and nutrients they need for repair and recovery. This restricted circulation can leave your ankle feeling swollen, especially when you kick continuously and during longer swimming sessions.
Liniments are used in Chinese sports medicine to treat ankle swelling after swimming by dispersing stagnant blood and fluids and increasing circulation to the affected tissues. A liniment is a liquid preparation containing natural Chinese herbs that you rub into the skin as an effective topical treatment that is easy to apply and absorbs quickly.
Liniments are effective because the medicinal properties of the Chinese herbs work to disperse stagnant blood and fluids and increase circulation, while the alcohol base of the liniment carries those medicinal properties through the skin to the affected tissues that need support for repair and healing.
The recommended liniment for your ankle depends on your symptoms and whether your ankle is in the acute or chronic stage of recovery.
Acute Sinew Liniment by Sinew Therapeutics is used during the acute stage, when swelling, inflammation, redness, and pain are present.
Chronic Sinew Liniment by Sinew Therapeutics is used during the chronic stage, after the swelling and inflammation are gone, but you still feel pain, stiffness, weakness, or sensitivity in cold weather.
The treatment guide below explains the symptoms associated with the acute and chronic stages of recovery and how these stages relate to what you're feeling in your ankle.
Acute Stage Symptoms & Treatment
This stage is characterized by swelling, redness, pain, and possibly a local sensation of heat, indicating inflammation. If coolness makes your pain feel better, then the Acute Sinew Liniment is recommended.
The acute stage starts the moment an injury occurs and lasts until the swelling and inflammation are gone. The swelling is the result of the blockage of blood, tissue fluids and circulation in the ankle because their normal movement has been disrupted by the force of the injury. Just like cars back up behind a traffic jam, causing congestion, exhaust and overheating; blood and fluids back up behind the injured ankle, causing pain, inflammation, lumps and swelling.
The sensation of heat is due to the warming action of the blood and fluids overheating in the ankle as they back up and accumulate. Stiffness and decreased mobility are due to spasms in tendons and ligaments that have contracted reflexively beyond their normal range from the impact of the injury.
As ligaments and tendons stretch and tear, blood from ruptured blood vessels becomes trapped in the local tissues. As the trapped blood clots up, it sticks the tissues together creating adhesions. Adhesions cause pain, inflammation and restricted movement because the layers of tissue that used to slide smoothly across one another now adhere and snap which interferes with normal functioning. It is essential to break up clotted blood as quickly as possible to prevent adhesions and scar tissue from forming.
During the acute stage it is very important to restore normal circulation, break up clotted blood and stagnant fluids, reduce swelling, and reduce the redness and heat associated with inflammation. By restoring the flow of blood, fluids, and circulation, then pain is relieved, damaged tissues can regenerate with healthy functional tissue, and the ankle can strengthen and regain its mobility.
Massage your ankle with Acute Sinew Liniment to relieve pain, reduce swelling and inflammation, break up clotted blood and stagnant fluids, and stimulate circulation of blood and fluids to help cells quickly repair damaged tissues. Sinew Herbal Ice can be used in-between applications.
Chronic Stage Symptoms & Treatment
This stage begins once the swelling and inflammation are gone, but you still feel pain, stiffness, weakness, or sensitivity in cold and damp weather. If heat makes your pain feel better, then the Chronic Sinew Liniment is recommended.
The chronic stage begins once the swelling and inflammation are gone, but you still feel aching pain and stiffness. This is because there are still accumulations of stagnant blood and fluids in your ankle that are blocking circulation and blood supply to damaged tissues, creating residual pain, stiffness and weakness. You may actually feel hard nodules like sand in the tissue, indicating accumulation, calcification, and adhesions, which all cause pain, stiffness, and joint instability.
Your ankle may feel more sensitive to the cold and ache in cold and damp weather due to impaired circulation. When you move your ankle you may hear a clicking or popping sound from the tendons and ligaments slipping very slightly in and out of their natural alignment indicating weakness and joint instability, causing chronic pain and a cycle of reinjury. These symptoms are often the result of the ankle not receiving the proper treatment from the outset and over-icing.
Increasing circulation and blood supply to the damaged tissues is vital in treating chronic injuries because tendons and ligaments do not have an extensive direct supply of blood. That is why chronic injuries can be slow to heal. Increasing local circulation also prevents cold and dampness from penetrating the injured area, preventing pain and stiffness.
During the chronic stage it is very important to break up remaining accumulations of blood and fluids, and increase circulation and blood supply to the damaged tissues. By increasing circulation and blood flow in the ankle, then pain and stiffness are relieved, and the tendons and ligaments can strengthen to restore stability.
Massage your ankle with Chronic Sinew Liniment to relieve pain and stiffness, strongly stimulate circulation and blood flow to damaged tissues, and promote the healing of overstretched tendons and ligaments. Sinew Injury Poultice can be used in-between applications.
Persistent, severe, or worsening symptoms should be evaluated by a qualified healthcare professional.
