Thursday, 14 April 2022 14:37

Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation. (RICE) May Not Be the Best Advice After Injury

By Matt Goodemote | Families Today
Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation. (RICE) May Not Be the Best Advice After Injury

Have you been told that you should rest after an injury? Are you using ice to reduce swelling? 

Unfortunately, the recommendations from the medical community for dealing with an injury haven’t kept up with the research. At Goodemote Physical Therapy, we use the most advanced rehabilitation strategies to help you recover after an injury and get back to doing what you love! 

Resting, icing, compressing, and elevating (i.e., the R.I.C.E. method) is simply outdated and not the most effective way to recover after an injury. The physician that originally coined the method no longer recommends two of the original recommendations. Rest and ice are not the most effective strategies and may even impair your ability to recover quickly.

What does RICE mean? The acronym RICE stands for 

• Rest

• Ice

• Compression

• Elevation 

The medical and sports community has recommended this protocol to help reduce inflammation and speed up recovery after an injury. Unfortunately, the science does not support recommendations.

Recently there have been some indications in the research that ice and rest do not enhance the recovery process but may actually delay recovery. In comparison, compression and elevation have some evidence to support their continued use. 

Resting after an injury has been shown to have a negative effect on the recovery process for quite some time. Movement helps tissue to heal and recover faster. It has been found that those who begin moving the injured part sooner have shorter recovery times and faster returns to activity. 

Even more significant, it has been shown that immobilization delays recovery and may also hinder the ability to recover after an injury fully. By resting, there is a lack of physical stress on the injured area, which can cause atrophy and impair the healing process, resulting in a  limited functional return after injury.

Icing does have some benefits, including effective pain management and the initial inflammation responses by slowing the blood flow to the injured area. Unfortunately, this reduction in blood flow may also inhibit our body’s natural healing response, which could lengthen the recovery process.

Ice should be applied within the first 36 to 48 hours for pain relief, but ice does not reduce swelling. Ice slows blood flow to minimize the extent of swelling but does not reduce inflammation! 

Compression has been shown to reduce swelling. More recent research has demonstrated that it may also speed up the recovery after injury and the muscle soreness associated with intense training. 

Applying compression promotes lymphatic drainage and the transportation of fluid back into the circulatory system. The result is less swelling and improved blood flow. Compression garments have improved over the years and can now be worn throughout the day, leading to a faster recovery and improved function sooner. 

Elevation can help to reduce swelling after an injury. The concept of elevating “above the heart,” although certainly better than no elevation, is not high enough. Some evidence suggests that acute sprains and strains respond best to at least 60° of limb elevation. 

The new recovery rules after an injury include recommendations to move the injured area sooner than later and continue using compression and elevation for swelling control. Icing is undoubtedly helpful for pain control, but it is simply not effective for reducing swelling and may delay the healing response if used too long after the initial injury.

So the bottom line:
RICE is not the preferred treatment for an acute injury.

At Goodemote PT, our physical therapists can help you recover after an injury by using the most advanced techniques and methods. We will start with an injury evaluation and thorough history to identify all the factors contributing to the injury and understand more about your overall health status and goals. 

We will use this information to develop a comprehensive program that includes targeted manual techniques, mobility work, strengthening, and appropriate pain relief techniques for the individual athlete. Our focus is on giving you the tools immediately after the injury that allow the fastest, most effective recovery process.

Call Goodemote Physical Therapy today and let us guide you back to health! Request an appointment by calling 518-306-6894 today! You can also find us at GoodemotePT.com.

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