Follow These 4 Easy Steps to Speed Up Recovery After Every Injury

Unfortunately, we have all been injured, whether it be a simple trip and fall, or a rolled ankle on the basketball court.  Do yourself a favor and remember the pneumonic, RICE.  Do this and speed up your recovery time and decrease pain and inflammation dramatically! So what does “RICE” stand for?  Here we go….

R – REST. Resting the injured structure is the best place to start.  Movement and strain on an injured structure only leads to MORE inflammation, pain, and can even lead to further injury.  Depending on the severity and location of the area will determine the proper period to rest.  The period of rest should be long enough that a majority of the injured structure’s function has been returned and pain is at a minimum. 

Be smart with rest though.  After several days of rest try moving the injured area as much as possible in pain-free range of motion.  Doing so, will help to reduce scar tissue and adhesion build-up that can cause long term problems.

I – ICE.  For those of you that know me, I am a HUGE proponent of Ice.  Ice is absolutely the best thing you can do to reduce inflammation, swelling, and even pain after a recent injury.  The general guidelines in the office is 20 min of ice each hour.  Remember to wrap the ice bag in a thin towel or wrap to prevent frostbite to applied area.  DO NOT ice longer than 20 minutes on the hour as it could actually delay healing times!

C – COMPRESSION.  With most injuries swelling is inevitable.  Again, depending on the severity, swelling can result in compromised function of the injured area and restrict proper blood flow.  What I recommend is using a light, elastic wrap around the injured area.  The wrap should be snug enough to allow proper movement, but not too tight as to cut off circulation.

E – ELEVATION.  Elevation also aims to reduce the amount of swelling.  Elevate the injured structure as much as possible.  The resulting reduction in swelling can also function to reduce the amount of pain.  

There are several different variations of this pneumonic, as well..  “HI-RICE” is the addition of proper “Hydration” and “Ibuprofen” to the regime.  “PRICES” is the addition of “Protection” of the injured structure and “Support.” Adding these additional steps can also help to increase recovery time.

Did I forget anything?  Have some secrets I should know about?  Let me hear about it in the comments below!

Also, check out my website http://www.thrivespineandsport.com to find out how you can deal with those persistent, nagging injuries.