R  I  C  E
“They use the ice very wisely”- ken Barse

Whenever you get injured, you might have observed that the most immediate treatment one can do to get a control over the situation is the use of ice,whether it is bleeding or swelling to the injured area. Similarly, physiotherapy has a very essential component for treating several acute conditions. Its the ‘R I C E’. Let’s have a look at what R I C E exactly is. And how does it help us in resolving our immediate bodily changes after some trauma or injury eventually helping us in treating the condition.

R          I             C             E
                  (REST   ICE    COMPRESSION   ELEVATION)


·       REST
The REST is the very first component, which indicates that the injured part of the body should be allowed to take rest. Do not give unnecessary stress to the area which has already been traumatized. Rest promotes healing. Some of the micro traumas get healed on their own by rest. Rest contributes in the recovery of the affected part of the body and helps it restore its functions.

·       ICE
You must have observed that whenever a person get injured, and starts bleeding, we often apply ice to stop the blood. Ever wondered why? Ice works on the body in a very interesting manner, the method is called as 'cryotherapy'. This phenomenon is based on the circulation of blood in the body of an individual. After the application of ice to the area, there is a reduced blood flow. Why do we need a reduced blood circulation? Well, the logic is very simple.
Cold promotes vasoconstriction that is the reduction in the flow of blood, why do we want a reduced blood flow? Low temperature helps in slowing down the body metabolism to avoid further damaging. And destroys the unwanted cell growth and microorganism providing the body a way to put a halt to the worsening of the condition and infection respectively. It reduces the inflammation which involves certain components like swelling, redness, pain and warmth. The body temperature can be reduced by many ways for example, the use of ice packs, cold baths, ice towels, vapocoolant sprays etc.

·       COMPRESSION
The dictionary meaning of compression is ‘applying pressure’. Now why is pressure applied? After an acute injury, there is often accumulation of fluid, which is the extra-cellular fluid in the body. This accumulation of fluid is also termed as edema. Draining out this edema into the lymph nodes will reduce its accumulation in one area. This compression can be given in the form of compression sleeve, stockings, or simply wrapping the part, some kind of external pressure is applied this way which helps in flow back of this extra amount of fluid into the circulatory system.

·       ELEVATION
Elevation of the affected limb helps in avoiding pooling of the fluid in the limb. It is also one of the ways to drain the fluid back into the circulatory system and avoid its accumulation in the extremities.


 Use of RICE is beneficial in many sports injuries, fractures, inflammation, muscle soreness etc. It often helps in recovering the ligament injuries like an ankle sprain and also can be a part of treatment in joint replacement, after the surgery.

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