RICE: First Aid

We’re not talking about how to
rescue an overcooked Asian food staple. But this advice should be a staple in any sportsperson’s vocabulary.

No matter how young or fit you are, you may suffer a muscle-strain injury during sport or regular exercise.
To maximise recovery and minimise any delay in returning to your chosen sport, you need to know four simple rules for the first 24-48 hours after the injury. These steps address your body’s reaction to the injury—”the inflammatory response,” which involves fluid build-up, swelling, redness and significant pain!
If you’ve done a first-aid course you’ll already know what I’m talking about when I say RICE.

R = REST.
This is the most important part of the program. Your body is injured and needs to be isolated from any activity that could worsen the condition.

I = ICE.
Use a bag of ice or frozen peas to cool the area. This helps decrease the pain and slows blood flow (important) to the deeper tissues where bleeding may be present. Do not place ice on bare skin, but wrap in a thin towel, and ice the area for 20 minutes every two hours in the first 24-48 hours
following the injury.

C = COMPRESSION.
Create a firm (but not tight) and wide compression bandage over the affected area, which will
control fluid build up and limit pain at the site. Loosen and then reapply after four hours.

E = ELEVATION.
Try elevating the limb to a height that places it above the level of the heart (be practical). This assists removal of blood and fluids from the injury and thereby
controls swelling.

What about heat treatment? Although heat will provide relief from pain, do not use heat treatments in the first 48 hours after injury because this will only increase blood flow to the site, thereby increasing fluid build-up and delay the start of the healing process.

Once you’ve effectively controlled the inflammation with RICE, your body can start the healing process.
So, don’t fight the need to take care of an injury–thinking you can go on as normal! In fact, those who take the time to rest and rejuvenate often return to full activity sooner and with less future problems, than those who keep going despite their injury.