20 Ways How to Treat Swelling after Tetanus Shot
A Tetanus shot is highly crucial vaccine to help your body fight off dangerous bacteria. This bacteria is called the Clostridium tetani. Once it attacks your body, you’ll feel an immense pain from all the muscles in your body. It may even cause death. That’s why a Tetanus shot is necessary.
The shot is often given on the arm and swelling may occur but here are the ways you can treat it. Beforehand, read some of the causes and the effects to help you treat the swell better.
Causes of Swell
- Inflammation
- Irritation
- Infection
Effects from Swell
- Tenderness
- Itchiness
- Pain
- Redness
Treating Swollen Skin
Do these treatments to help with your swollen skin:
1. Ice Your Skin
The best way to treat any swollen area is by using ice. You don’t necessarily need ice blocks for this, you may use cold packs too. Also you can wrap the ice with a cloth or a towel in case it’s too cold. Leave the ice pack on your swollen skin for a maximum of 20 minutes. Wait for a few hours and repeat.
2. Pain Reliever
You may want to take some pain relievers to reduce the discomfort. The medication can help in reducing the intensity of the swollen skin. You can either choose to take Tylenol or Ibuprofen. Those medications help in treating the inflammation that is happening under your skin.
3. Warm Compress
Other than using ice, you can use something warmer. A warm compress on the skin can cause blood to flow more into the sore area. The skin will have the ability to heal at a much quicker pace. You can alternate between using ice or warm compress on your skin.
4. Massage
During your free time, gently apply light pressure to the area around your skin. It helps to keep the blood flowing. Moreover, the muscle around the swollen skin will loosen up. Tense muscles cause the soreness to persists. Slowly massage the area but avoid rubbing too harshly. It’s also great in ways to get rid of feet swelling.
5. Rest Arm
You need to give more resting time for your arm in case the swollen area hurts too much. Moving too much may only cause more pain. The swelling could grow as well. In the meantime, you can use your other arm for your daily tasks while waiting for the swell to go down.
6. Give Light Activities for Arm
Although you may need to not move your arm around as much as usual, it still needs a bit of an exercise. Give your arm some light movements. For instance, you can raise your arm for a couple of minutes. Another thing that you can do is to move it in circular motion. Light exercise keeps the blood flowing without too much pain.
7. Stretch the Arm
Always try to keep your arm relaxed. An intense arm will cause the muscle to contract and harder for the swell to go away. Once in a while, stretch out your arm as far as you can. Release all the tension so your arm can relax. Continue doing this until you see that the swelling has reduced in size.
8. Wear the Right Clothing
Do not wear very tight clothing when the swell is still there. Choose something light, smooth and airy. You can also wear a short sleeve clothing if you can. Tight material will cause so much pain on the area. Your swollen skin may also get irritation from having too many frictions with the fabric you are wearing. You may want to read the ways to get rid of swollen finger.
9. Avoid Sleeping on the Swollen Area
When you sleep on your side, choose to sleep on your healthy arm. Remind yourself not to fall asleep on the side of your arm that is still healing. Accidental pressure on your swollen area may hurt you. The healing time can become longer too.
10. Hydrate the Body
It is so important for you to hydrate your body. It’s a good way to cool down your body. After a tetanus shot, the area where the injection happened may experience a bit of inflammation. A hydrated body will be able to handle this. As you keep drinking water, you are reducing inflammation on your skin.
11. Avoid Scratching
Be very conscious of your body. In case you feel an itch to scratch your swollen skin, don’t. Scratching it is not a good idea as that will cause irritation. Instead of scratching, you can just lighly pat the area around your swelling. You may also rub around the swell in circular motion.
12. Reduce Consuming Sodium
Apparently, sodium may increase the intensity of your swelling. Sodium is not only present in food. It can also be found in soft drinks too. Watch what you eat and avoid consuming too many sodium. Drink lots and lots of water to get rid of the excess salt in your body.
13. Don’t Eat Inflammatory Food
You also need to avoid eating too many inflammatory food. It won’t help in making your swelling disappear. Instead, eat food containing many fresh fruits and vegetables. They are full of water which will have a cooling effect on your body. Your swollen skin will thank you for not overheating it. Eating right can also help in how to swollen knee from fall.
14. Drink Infused Water
In case drinking plain water gets boring, this next trick might help you consume more in a refreshing way. Cut up fruits into small slices and mix it with your water. You may add strawberries, kiwi or lemon. You may even want to add cucumber or mint leaves. Infused water will help you heal by providing water and vitamins.
15. Calming Bath
A calming bath can do wonders for your swollen skin. It will even be more effective when you add some epsom salts. Those salts are very known to cool down inflammation. Ensure that the water is high enough to soak the swollen skin. You can safely do this daily.
More Treatments (16-20)
Here are more things that you can do.
- Avoid Irritants: Don’t use harsh soaps or spray perfumes around the swell.
- Take Vitamins: Increase your body immune system so the skin can heal.
- Moisturise: Helps to keep the swollen area moist. Dryness may cause irritation.
- Clean the Area: Try to keep your skin sanitise and clean.
- Light Bandage: Wrap a light bandage on the swell to avoid friction or irritation.
Things to Consider
Most swelling from a Tetanus shot often heals within days or a week. But in case that the swelling grows in size, visit a doctor. Draw a circle around the area to keep track on how much the swell has grown. You also need to go to the hospital when you experience a fever or dizziness after the vaccination.
You may do a combination of these treatments until the swelling has completely dissappeared. Treat your sore skin with patience and you’ll see the result.
