to restore to full health, so it should go without saying that you need to take early active intervention. Acute injury is associated with local bleeding and that the object of first aid is to minimise this bleeding and reduce its consequences. The acronym

GETTY IMAGESPicture the scene (you may not have to try too hard). You’re in good shape, you’re enjoying your run and suddenly something hurts. How do you know whether to run through it – crying ‘no pain, no gain’ – or to rest for five minutes; whether to walk home immediately or ...

.Self-treatmentRICE to the letter. Ice to restrict fluid formation and elevation for damage should be complemented by aspirin or ibuprofen in one of its forms to minimise inflammation.Medical treatmentAlong with other first aid, active electrotherapy by a physiotherapist will speed

or rheumatoid arthritis, and these will need to be treated and monitored.What else could it be? As well as the diseases just mentioned, various infections may target the joint. You could even be suffering from psoriasis, a skin disease.Self-treatmentSimple first

following injury, it is notoriously difficult to be sure of the exact diagnosis by simple examination, though tests to pull the tibia forward of the femur may be strongly positive if the excess fluid is first removed.Medical investigationsX-rays are going