RICE first aid Method/Regimen of Injury Treatment for acute Injuries

R.I.C.E regimen for Injury Treatment can reduce your Injury period and is an excellent first aid measure for acute training injuries.

Athletes are prone to it. Many Bodybuilders are prone to it. And in general any person who runs, trains or plays are prone to Injuries. The RICE regimen is an excellent way to reduce the injury insult and drastically diminish your Injury time.
 

RICE stands for Rest, Ice,Compression and Elevation.
 

The main purpose of RICE regimen is to reduce pain and tissue inflammation. Inflammation when heals leaves a scar tissue made up of collagen which can take several days to heal sidelining you from training of any sort.
 

RICE method is therefore employed as a first aid for Acute Injuries.
 

Now lets break down RICE
 

Rest - The first step is to stop adding to the injury insult. Many athletes train with small injuries but for later regrets. If rest is needed and you delay it, then you will have to rest longer in pain. The injured are, either ligaments, tendon or muscle requires rest for healing and repair. R also stands for restricted activity but initially rest is an absolute must for proper healing.
 

Ice - Ice has a vasoconstrictor effect. It reduces the blood f low to the are and drastically reduces Bleeding and swelling. You can use ice packs or bags for reducing short term pain. Use ice packs for short time only, not more than 10-25 minutes. Ice will make the skin go pale if used for more time. In areas of low body fat use it for not more than 10 minutes.
 

Compression - Compression reduces tissue fluid escape and thereby reduces inflammation and swelling. Bandages are used to wrap the are injured.
 

Elevation - Elevate the limb or part injured. Prop your injured arm or leg over a couple of pillows to raise it above heart level. This reduces blood flow and inflammatory swelling.

Remember RICE is only a first aid treatment and not a complete treatment. If pain persists after 24-48 hours consult a sports medicine specialist to diagnose the injury and follow appropriate treatment measures.
 

Two additional tips for faster recovery in addition to RICE.

1. Eat a low fat diet - Studies have shown high fat diets increase healing time and also makes you more prone to injury. This makes low fat diets better for athletes.

2. Antioxidants - Sports athletes are using antioxidants to stay in top conditioning and recover faster from unfortunate injuries. Antioxidants not only help fight free radical better they also help in faster recovery from injuries by preventing the insult to injury which free radicals do.

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