RICE treatment is a common and effective first aid therapy for soft tissue injuries, like sprains. It’s actually an acronym, standing for “Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate.” It explains the basic steps you follow to decrease swelling and inflammation and encourage healing immediately after you injure yourself.
Rest involves stopping the activity that caused the problem, and taking a break from everything that causes discomfort in your injured limb. Ice involves applying a cold pack to the damage as soon as possible. Cold decreases and discourages swelling around an injury. A compression bandage stabilizes your lower limb while making it harder for fluid to leak into other tissues. Elevating your foot prevents gravity from pooling fluid in your foot while you heal.
RICE treatment is meant to be a temporary first aid method for handling an injury, but it is effective. After the initial pain is gone, you’ll need to move on to rehabilitation and reconditioning. Our team at Podiatry Associates, P.C. in Castle Pines, Cherry Creek, and Parker, CO, can help you through the whole process. If you’re not sure how to use RICE, or you need more treatment for an injury, call for an appointment at (303) 805-5156.