Rest is often the easiest and most effective treatment for common running injuries. Take a couple of days off from running -- it may be all you need to heal your injury.
Ice the trouble spot with an ice pack or a bag of frozen veggies for 20 minutes, every 4 to 6 hours. Try to ice the affected area as soon as possible once you feel pain, and immediately after a run if you are running with an injury. Heat should only be applied to an injury after the inflammation is gone, usually after about 72 hours. If your swelling has gone down significantly, but there's still some inflammation, try alternating heat and ice after a few days of ice-only treatment.
Compression limits swelling and can provide minor pain relief. You can wrap the affected area with an Ace bandage, but don't make it too tight. If you feel throbbing or excessive pressure, loosen the bandage.
Elevate the injured body part -- try to get it higher than your heart, if possible. In most cases, you can do this by lying down and propping the injury up on pillows.
- Ice or frozen bag of vegetables
- Ace bandage
