Your healthcare provider will give specific instructions for fracture treatment. The METH method will likely be incorporated into their recommendations:
- Movement of the injury: Flex and extend what you can, although you might have to keep the injury still to allow it to heal.8
- Elevate: Raise an injured arm or leg above the level of the heart.
- Traction: This is a technique where the injured individual uses weights and pulleys to pull the bone into alignment. This should only be done under doctor’s supervision.
- Heat: Apply warm, moist heat to the area. Be sure it’s not too hot.
Try to avoid anti-inflammatory medications like Advil (ibuprofen) and Aleve (naproxen sodium) if you have a fracture. Anything that stops the inflammatory process, which is the immune system’s healing response, can slow down recovery.