A self-care treatment that will help reduce pain and swelling of your tissue injuries. R.I.C.E means Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. It’s helpful whenever you experience minor injuries.
This treatment is the best for sprains or strains, small bone injuries or a sports injury. It’s also used and recommended for closed fractures or degenerative joint problems. If you have an injury, pain or swelling that doesn’t go away, you should see a doctor.
But Why is R.I.C.E Treatment effective?
With 4 steps, the R.I.C.E method will help you heal up your body faster.
Rest
Pain is the signal from your body that something is wrong when you get hurt. So the most recommended thing is for you to stop the activity and rest.
It’s because, if you have minor or moderate injuries, if you keep moving and putting weight on top of your injury, it can and probably will worsen your injury and delay your recovery.
Doctor recommends resting for at least 48h, and not put too much pressure and stress on the injured area. It’s useful to have some assistive devices like a cane or sling to help your mobility and to avoid pressure in the joints and/or limbs.
Ice
Icing the injured areas helps reduce pain and inflammation. It’s more effective when used in the first few hours after the injury occurs.
It’s best to use it for 20 minutes within every hour. But do not apply the ice directly to the skin, prefer to wrap it with a towel or plastic bags, and avoid leaving it for more than 20 minutes, but it may damage your skin and lead to an ice burn.
