Class is in session. Put on your certified-organic thinking caps. Sports injuries — the dark side of increasing spring and summer play — can happen to anyone, at anytime. It's your duty as my devoted reader who wants to avoid the Organized Health Care system as much as possible to learn some of today's basic fitness first-aid rules.

Why? Because informed self-care builds confidence and saves you money, time and unnecessary pain. The more you understand about your body — how it gets hurt and how it heals — the better. You knew that, right?

The most common sports injuries are the stress and strain kind. You lift a weight that's too heavy or you overextend a muscle sliding into second and as a result, you get little microscopic tears in the tissue that, over time, cause pain, swelling and stiffness.

The best way to deal with common overuse injuries is to prevent them from happening in the first place — by doing warm-ups, cool-downs and not pushing your body too hard, for too long.

The second kind of sports injury comes from a sudden event: a fall off your bike, a collision on the ball field or a stumble. In all cases, the fitness first-aid rules are pretty much the same. Here are some guidelines for dealing with minor strains, sprains, bumps and bruises:

STOP, BREATHE, AND TAKE STOCK. You fall, you get banged, you pull a muscle swimming, etc. Resist the urge to panic. Instead, make a conscious decision to take a number of slow, deep breaths. Focus your awareness on the area of injury. How much does it hurt? Is it bleeding? Depend on the kindness of strangers for help, but take a good look at the problem. Is there an obvious deformity? Can you move it? You may not hurt at first because sometimes, when you're injured, your body kindly kicks in with a natural anesthesia, delaying the pain until hours later.

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. If your injury is minor, you can probably clean it and treat it yourself. However, if you think the wound is severe because of bleeding, extreme pain, deformity or any other symptom that arouses suspicion, get medical help immediately. If you decide to treat the injury yourself, and the pain and swelling persist for more than 24 hours, do NOT wait for it to get worse.

See a professional. Bring a pal with you to be a second pair of ears and an advocate for getting you the best care.

USE I-C-E, NOT HEAT. When you scrape your arm or bang your knee, you know pain and swelling are on the way. What should you do? Apply ice or heat? ICE is the right answer; not heat. Why? Because heat increases bleeding and swelling; ice reduces it. Some experts recommend heat after the first 72 hours, if reduces your stiffness and feels soothing. You can ice the injury (with cubes, bags of frozen veggies, special gel packs) all day long, but don't keep it on for more than 20 minutes at a time. I-C-E is also a handy mnemonic device for remembering the other two steps you need to take right after an injury: C for Compression and E for Elevation.

COMPRESSION AND ELEVATION. Compression simply means wrapping an elastic bandage around the injured area. Wrap it firmly, but not so tight that it cuts off the circulation and slows healing. When you rest — and immediate rest is what your body needs to help heal itself — elevate the injured area above heart level. Why? So gravity can help drain fluid and reduce the swelling.

THINK REHAB RIGHT AWAY. The sooner you can safely get back to activity after an injury, the better. Conscientious physical therapists are a great resource. Avoid bringing too much weight to the injured part. That's why pool therapy is great for rehab; you can maintain strength and flexibility without the stress and pressure of a land workout.

When you return to your sport, ease into it until your strength and flexibility are fully restored. You can continue to ice the injured area after you've resumed exercising to keep the swelling down. Aspirin or some other anti-inflammatory medication may be helpful too. If you feel pain, stop. Don't push past the pain. You're very likely to reinjure yourself. Oh, no! Then, you'd have to start all over.

ENERGY EXPRESS-O! DON'T FALL FOR IT

"If at first you don't succeed ... so much for skydiving." — Henny Youngman

Marilynn Preston — fitness expert, personal trainer and speaker on healthy lifestyle issues — is the creator of Energy Express, the longest-running syndicated fitness column in the country. She welcomes reader questions, which can be sent to MyEnergyExpress@aol.com. To find out more about Preston and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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