R.I.C.E- how can it help my soft tissue injury?

 

Rest  Ice  Compression  Elevation

 

Injuries are a part of sports- we can prepare to the best of our ability, protect ourselves with the proper equipment and make sure we play safely but injuries happen. With any injury- seek the advice of proper medical staff- athletic trainer, nurse, physician, etc. before doing any treatments on your own. Sometimes a variation of R.I.C.E. will be recommended depending on the diagnosis of the injury.

For basic soft tissue injuries such as strains (injury to a muscle or tendon), sprains (injury to a ligament) and contusions (bruise)- R.I.C.E. is a good rule of thumb in treating the injury.

Rest- resting the site of injury is important in the healing and preventing further damage

Ice- decreases the inflammation and decrease the pain. Good rule of thumb is 20 minutes of ice each hour. It is always a good idea to wrap the ice in a towel before applying it to the skin of the affected area.

Compression- helps decreases swelling *** important to ensure compression is not too tight that it causes damage to the nerves- numbness, tingling, "falling asleep" in the area of injury are all signs of compression being too tight

Elevation- use gravity to help decrease swelling in injured area. This can help decrease swelling and pain.