Inflammation is a normal response to injury or trauma and usually involves swelling, edema, redness, heat and loss of function.

The word inflammation literally means “to set on fire.” The inflammatory response can be provoked by physical, chemical and biological agents, including physical trauma, exposure to excessive amounts of sunlight, x-rays and radioactive materials, corrosive chemicals, extremes of heat and cold and infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses and other micro-organisms.

The classic signs of inflammation are heat, redness, swelling, pain and loss of function. Those signs are manifestations of the changes that occur during the inflammatory process. They can occur in virtually any tissue of the human body, including muscles, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, the brain, heart, lungs and other organs.

The major components of this process are changes in blood flow through blood vessels, increased capillary permeability and the presence of white blood cells.

Large quantities of chemicals, such as histamines are released in response to local trauma. This causes an increase in local blood flow and an increase in capillary permeability. As a result, large quantities of fluid and proteins leak out into surrounding tissue. The fluid begins to clot around blood vessels. A clot will usually form within five minutes after a blood vessel wall has been damaged. White blood cells migrate to the area of tissue damage and prevent further damage and infection. The inflamed........

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