Injuries happen. There is no real way to completely avoid injury if you’re going to be doing anything at all. You can minimize, reduce and mitigate injuries, but not remove them completely. So, what should you do when you DO get injured? Knowing how to take care of and heal minor injuries is a must-learn skill! There are a couple of acronyms you need to know when it comes time to heal injuries.
R.I.C.E
The older acronym is RICE. It stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. The idea was to completely de-load the injured limb. It was thought that complete rest would lead to better healing.
- Rest
- The first step, as mentioned previously, was a complete de-loading. The goal was complete rest and to avoid using the injured limb as much as possible. This could, however, lead to a dependence on and an overworking of the uninjured limb. As well as an atrophy of the injured limb.
- Ice
- The next step was to apply ice to the injured area. The ice was to help reduce any inflammation or swelling.
- Compression
- We would then apply compression. This was also to reduce swelling. Compression also provides support and limits unnecessary movement.
- Elevation
- Ideally, the injured limb should be raised above heart level but kept fairly comfortable and supported. The point is to reduce blood flow to the injured area and therefore reduce unnecessary inflammation.
P.O.L.I.C.E
A newer acronym is POLICE. Which stands for Pressure, Optimal Loading, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.
- Pressure
- The first step in this acronym is to apply pressure to the injured area. This is a fairly instinctual response. The idea is to immediately reduce swelling and provide support. As well as cap off any bleeding that may have occurred.
- Optimal Loading
- The idea here is to get away from complete de-loading and, instead provide the injured area with a proper and therapeutic load level. This helps reduce dependence on the uninjured limb and avoid atrophy of the injured limb. With this approach, less work is needed after healing to get the injured limb back to its pre-injury usage.
- Ice
- The rest of the acronym is the same. The ice helps reduce swelling and inflammation.
- Compression
- Again the compression is to aid in reducing swelling and to provide support.
- Elevation
- Elevation is about controlling blood flow to reduce excess inflammation.
Why a switch?
The main change in the acronyms is the idea of Optimal Loading instead of a complete de-loading. The purpose is to avoid atrophy of the injured limb and overworking of the uninjured limb. This idea also helps keep the joints of the injured limb loose, because complete un-use of the injured limb tends to stiffen the joints. If we use the “Optimal Loading” technique the joints continue being moved through their ranges of motion and mobility is better maintained.
What does the switch mean?
The POLICE method creates a better overall healing environment. It also reflects a more holistic approach to healing injuries.
Which method is better?
One isn’t necessarily better than the other, per-se. However, the idea of continuing to work the injured limb that is adopted in the POLICE method does provide a chance for less atrophy and maintenance of Range of Motion. Which is very important to heal injuries.
The most important thing to heal injuries is to address the injury. We need to make sure we are not injuring ourselves any further or letting the injury go and develop into even more of a problem. The longer we let it go the worse it will get. Compression and support are important. We also need to think about swelling and inflammation. Another consideration to make is the usage versus non-usage of the injured limb. We need to decide if we are going to work the injured limb and to what level we are going to work it during the injury.