PECH rule

introduction

This is almost as relevant for athletes as knowing the ideal training plan and a balanced diet Basic knowledge on the subject of sports injuries. Professional athletes who demand maximum performance from their bodies and highly motivated, rather untrained occasional athletes are particularly affected by injuries. But what do you do if it suddenly cracks and hurts? As a simple principle for First aid has the PECH rule proven. Easy to remember by its initial letters and easy to carry out by anyone far away from the doctor and hospital, this rule offers an ideal reference point for treating almost all sports injuries.

The P stands for the Breakto be done immediately after the injury occurs. In order to prevent further consequential damage and to keep the extent of the injury as low as possible, the injured part of the body must never be further stressed. ice - in other words, adequate cooling - is the second step. To avoid frostbite, it is important not to put the ice directly on the skin. If pure ice is not available, cold water or chilled bandages can also help.

Which is where the third letter comes into play: C for compressionwhich can both alleviate the pain and reduce further bleeding into the surrounding tissue and thus keep any bruises small from the beginning. Lastly, one should remember the H think that for that Elevate the affected part of the body stands. Arms or legs in particular can and should ideally be raised in order to facilitate the outflow of blood and lymph fluid and thus keep the swelling as low as possible.

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Who am I?
My name is dr. Nicolas Gumpert. I am a specialist in orthopedics and the founder of .
Various television programs and print media report regularly about my work. On HR television you can see me every 6 weeks live on "Hallo Hessen".
But now enough is indicated ;-)

In order to be able to treat successfully in orthopedics, a thorough examination, diagnosis and a medical history are required.
In our very economic world in particular, there is too little time to thoroughly grasp the complex diseases of orthopedics and thus initiate targeted treatment.
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The aim of any treatment is treatment without surgery.

Which therapy achieves the best results in the long term can only be determined after looking at all of the information (Examination, X-ray, ultrasound, MRI, etc.) be assessed.

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For more information about myself, see Lumedis - Orthopedists.

Duration / how long?

And how long should a treatment according to the PECH rule be carried out? Is there a limit to the duration?

Yes and no! While the measures of the PECH rule are generally not harmful in themselves and can be tried out safely even on healthy people, it is nevertheless important to adhere to certain time frames in order to avoid damage to skin and tissue through cooling, for example. The affected body part can and should be spared continuously (pause). Cooling should be done as often as possible; Indeed each only for a duration of about 10 minutes (Ice). It is important never to put the ice directly on the injured area - in the worst case scenario, the tissue could freeze. A towel or piece of cloth lets enough cold through while protecting the skin. You can therefore wait a little between several cooling phases before cooling again for another 10 minutes.

The compression bandage, on the other hand, can - if it has been correctly applied - remain on the injured part of the body as long as necessary (compression). However, the blood supply must be observed very carefully: Sufficient blood flow must be guaranteed at all times! Under no circumstances should any part of the body be cordoned off. If the body under or behind the bandage becomes pale and cold or even begins to tingle, the compression should be released immediately; it was then wrapped too tight. In the end, like compression, elevation can also be done for a long time and persistently, but also here in no case until the blood circulation fails. The same basic rule applies as explained above: If the body part tickles or becomes pale and cold, a change of position is advisable.

In the event of an injury, the person affected often notices which posture is the least painful and chooses this. All of the above applies only to the acute phase immediately after the injury occurred. 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. But if it comes on the 2nd day A doctor should be called in spite of all measures of the PECH rule to no improvement. Under certain circumstances, the injury is worse than initially thought and first aid care on your own is not sufficient. The attending physician will then advise on how to proceed; for example how long the training should be paused and from what point in time alternative sports (e.g. swimming) are again a training option.

Use on the knee

The PECH rule is also a good guide for knee injuries, which are particularly common among sports injuries. Before anything else, he should In the event of knee injuries, focus on the P - break - lie! Especially when it is still unclear whether ligaments or tendons at the joint are affected or even the basic bony structure could be injured, the affected knee should under no circumstances be bent or stretched against resistance.

The rule of thumb is to adopt the posture that hurts the least and not to change it afterwards. In most cases, with knee injuries, this is a resting position that is slightly bent, not leaning in or out. Also a A doctor visit should follow soon after knee injuries. Further diagnostic measures or therapeutic steps may be necessary.

Use in torn muscle fibers

The PECH rule is also suitable for first aid measures as part of a Torn hamstring on. If you consistently follow all intermediate steps here, the failure following the injury can be kept as low as possible.The faster the fixation and cooling of a torn muscle fiber takes place, the shorter the sports break and the subsequent rehab time will be. In the case of a torn muscle fiber, however, the duration of the acute treatment has to be changed: After only 2 days there is only very rarely an improvement, so that the sporting break and all other letters come into play longer.

Use for a bruise

This is a frequent injury, particularly in the field of recreational sports Muscle contusion. A hard blow or something similar to the usually very tense muscle can cause minor injuries. If you follow the PECH scheme for a bruise, you can even avoid a visit to the doctor in many cases.

Since the main problem with bruises is bleeding into the muscle, which subsequently results in a bruise, is one fast cooling is particularly important: The external cold stimulus causes the smallest blood vessels to contract and reduce the blood flow. This results in a reduced blood flow to the injured area. If in general less blood arrives at the bruised area, only a smaller amount can of course escape into the tissue and the subsequent bruise will be significantly smaller. A well-applied compression bandage has a similar effect.

Use for bruising

Bruises can therefore be effectively reduced during their formation, primarily through cooling and compression. If the PECH rule applies immediately after the infringing event, you can Bruising can sometimes even be completely prevented. Unfortunately, this principle no longer works quite as well with existing bruises; Nevertheless, cooling, rest, compression and elevation help against the pain that can result from a bruise and accelerate the natural healing process.

By compressing the injured area, the swelling cannot spread to the entire tissue, and efficient elevation means that blood, lymph and tissue fluid drain away faster. The body becomes in his Effectively supports self-healing. However, you should consult a doctor if the bruise becomes excessively large, the tissue is noticeably stretched or a tingling sensation occurs. The bruise may be too large and press on important vessels or nerves. This complication warrants medical intervention.