A NEW WAY TO APPROACH A SOFT TISSUE INJURY

OUT WITH THE RICE, IN WITH THE PEACE & LOVE

A NEW APPROACH TO ACUTE SOFT TISSUE INJURY

A medical publication in the British Journal of Sports Medicine put out a paper in January of 2020 that might have flipped the way we have been told to care for sudden injures right on its head! 

The RICE acronym has been our go-to way of dealing with most soft tissue injuries but it didn’t take into account the subacute (after the acute injury) or chronic (longer-term) stages of healing…so, the PEACE & LOVE acronyms were born.

As an Acupuncturist, who is also a PT (who used to always use ice on patients), we were told in Acupuncture school that “ice is for dead people…not for the living!” Why??? Because it slows down circulation and lymph! It has an analgesic effect but it also does not stimulate the movement of blood or fluids, necessary for repair. 

gIVE PEACE A CHANCE

After an immediate injury, PEACE should be where it’s at…

Protect: unload or restrict movement for 1-3 days and let pain be your guide when movement can commence.

Elevate: raise the limb higher than the heart to promote fluid flow. 

Avoid anti-inflammatories: inhibiting inflammation can negatively affect long term healing especially high dose OTC anti-inflammatories.

Compress: taping, bandaging, socks, compression boots all can limit internal swelling and tissue bruising

Eduction: learn (through a movement specialist)  how active vs passive movements can speed recovery

SHOW YOURSELF SOME LOVE

Load: activity with movement and mechanical stresses are key to promote tissue repair

Optimism: optimistic patients are associated with more positive outcomes 

Vascularization: pain-free aerobic exercises can be started a few days after injury to boost blood flow.

Exercise: restores mobility, improves strength and stability

Next time you roll your ankle, find PEACE and show it some LOVE!