Is there a better option?
But does this method work?
How to Treat a Sports Injury with R.I.C.E.
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If you need a wrap for more than three days, see a healthcare provider.
You may have a serious injury.
This method is touted so often that you might think there’s a lot of evidence supporting its use.
Rather, this method caught on despite a lack of research.
Pros
The primary goals of RICE are to relieve pain andinflammationand help the injury heal.
RICE does, in fact, reduce pain and inflammation.
When it comes to healing, though, some experts now question this conventional wisdom.
Recap
The RICE acronym for treating soft-tissue injuries has been around for a long time.
It’s successful for reducing pain and inflammation.
However, some experts question whether rest, ice, compression, and elevation are good for healing.
When you’re injured, your body rushes more blood to the area as part of the healing process.
RICE can prevent that.
Reducing Blood Flow
Blood flow is necessary for healing.
Our bodies have to break down damaged cells and rebuild them using raw materials.
Without proper blood flow, the whole process can take longer.
Healing requires controlled, not restricted, blood flow.That allows the body to heal much more efficiently.
When you use RICE, each step can limit blood flow.
The problem is that RICE does work well to prevent inflammation and swelling.
Joint Stiffness
Rest is also questioned for other reasons.
Evidence suggests that appropriate movement is better than complete rest when it comes to healing.
Inactivity leads to stiffness and tissueatrophy(wasting).
That can drag out the healing process as you’ll need to build back your muscle tone and strength.
Meanwhile, movement not only improves blood flow, but it also releases chemicals called growth factors.
Those maintain, repair, and strengthen your tissues.
Immobilization is usually necessary to allow the bone to heal.
See a healthcare provider for a diagnosis and treatment.
The first sign of damage is your skin turning red or pale, then feeling tingly or prickly.
That’s a sign you should stop icing and allow the skin to warm up.
When you ice an injury, be certain you havea towel or other cloth layerbetween you and the pack.
Don’t ice for more than 20 minutes at a time.
And let your tissues fully warm up before applying it again.
Some have been suggested, including:
All of these are problematic, though.
MICE continues to use ice and compression so it has become outdated.
METH and MOVE are more for healthcare practitioners than for you taking care of your injury at home.
Also, MOVE only focuses on rehabbing an injury, not pain control.
What you’re left with when it comes to self-treatment is movement, elevation, and heat.
Movement
Early movement may include gentle stretching and movements to keep the area from stiffening up.
If it’s a lower-body injury, you may want to put some weight on it.
Your healthcare team can advise you about what’s appropriate at each stage of healing.
Elevation
Current wisdom still supports elevating the injury when you’re resting.
Heat
Heat feels good on sore soft tissues and encourages blood flow.
It may also encourage inflammation.
So it’s not the best option if your injury is pretty puffed up and sore.
If you’re not sure whether you should use heat, talk to your healthcare provider about it.
As with ice, don’t overdo it.
Apply heat for no longer than 30 minutes at a time.
Use moderate heat and don’t burn yourself.
Medications
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)are a mainstay of pain and injury treatment.
Remember, though, that some inflammation is good.
Don’t over-use them.
They may give you a strongerprescription NSAIDorcorticosteroidsto combat inflammation.
For pain management beyond what NSAIDs offer, Tylenol (acetaminophen) may be a good option.
For severe pain, ask your provider about other possible medications.
Movement, elevation, heat, and medications for inflammation and/or pain may be better options than RICE.
When to Talk to Your Doctor
Some soft-tissue injuries can be treated at home.
Others require a healthcare provider’s care.
Summary
The traditional RICE method for treating soft tissue injuries limits blood flow to the injury.
That might slow down the healing process.
Evidence suggests that movement and heat may be better for healing than rest and ice.
Elevation can help keep swelling under control, and medication can help with pain while the injury heals.
That advice has been around for a long time and some people continue to swear by it.
(A cast that’s put on when you’re inflamed will be loose when the inflammation drops.)
If you choose to use RICE, only do it for a few days.
If you’re not getting better after three days, see a healthcare provider.
That depends on the severity of the sprain.
A mild sprain may get better in three weeks or less.
One involving a partial tear may take between three and six weeks.
A severe sprain, with torn or ruptured connective tissues, may take several months to heal.
University of Michigan Health, Michigan Medicine.Rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE).
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners: NewsGP.Is it time to rethink RICE for soft-tissue injuries?
2018;5(1):24. doi:10.1186/s40634-018-0139-3
The University of British Columbia.MOVE an injury not RICE.
2013;43(9):A1-A40.
doi:10.2519/jospt.2013.0305
Halabchi F, Hassabi M.Acute ankle sprain in athletes: Clinical aspects and algorithmic approach.World J Orthop.
Harvard Medical School, Harvard Health Publishing.Recovering from an ankle sprain.
2012;46(12):854-860. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2011-090490
