Treating Athletic Injuries with RICE

Most minor sports injuries can be treated at home with four simple steps:

• Rest
• Ice
• Compression
• Elevation

The acronym RICE is used to help people remember these steps.

Rest is essential for any injury. Many of the sprains, strains, pulls, bruises and spasms of athletic injuries can be made worse by continuing to play or exercise through the pain. When pain strikes, stop and let the affected area rest for a few days. Sometimes an elastic bandage, sling or tape is necessary to prevent unnecessary movement and insure rest.

Ice, or cold compress, apply to soft-tissue injuries reduced internal bleeding and swelling. An ice pack can be applied for ten to 15 minutes, and then removed for ten to 15 minutes. Care should be taken not to leave ice packs on longer than 15 minutes at a time since the extreme cold may freeze the skin.

Compression, or pressure, helps to reduce swelling in the injured area. Be careful not to wrap an elastic bandage too tight, though. The idea is to restrict swelling without cutting off the blood flow completely. The application of compression and ice packs should always be done together. The compression bandage can also be soaked in cold water for a cooling effect on the injured area.

Elevation of the affected area above the heart level reduces the "pooling" of blood and the throbbing pain caused by blood pumping through the injury site.

If your injury doesn't improve after one or two days of RICE therapy, or if you suspect an injury that RICE steps can't treat safely, call your healthcare provider. If symptoms are more severe or you have a broken bone, you can still use rest, ice, compression and elevation until emergency help arrives.