The new approach to injury management

In an early 2000’s athletic training room, an injured athlete would have a bag of ice strapped to their limb for 20 minutes, followed by a thorough Ace wrap job. This was part of the gold standard of the age: RICE. Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate. RICE has stood as THE model of care to reduce inflammation for acute injuries up until, well, NOW.

We’re changing our view, however, on the injury process. In particular, we’re lightening the stigma around acute inflammation. There is a cascade of events that occur within the first 48 hours of a musculoskeletal injury that play a critical role in both short and long-term recovery. When we disrupt that process through use of ice and NSAIDS, we rob the body of its opportunity to properly protect the injured tissue and clean up the waste products. Rest, while critical, is helpful only in small doses. Indeed, patients who receive a hip replacement are often up and walking within hours (albeit short, very slow distances). This isn’t to get patients out the door faster- it’s because their outcomes are far better.

In deep gratitude to an editorial written in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, we now have PEACE and LOVE. The takeaway? Move early in a manner that protects weak tissue while empowering the healing process AND your mental/physical health. Do so with the support of a medical provider who will educate you on your injury and the physiologic needs of the tissues.