Has the RICE Method Outlived its Shelf Life?

If working out is a part of your regular schedule, you have likely run head-on into an exercise injury. A twinge in your neck or a dull throbbing in your shin can hold you back from regular exercise for a while. You want to take prompt action to ease the pain and heal quickly so you can get back into the gym. Most instinctively use the RICE method to treat a minor injury, and for a good reason. The medical community has recommended this treatment for soft tissue injuries since it was created in the 1970s. Recent research has called the effectiveness of this tried-and-true method into question, suggesting that the RICE method may slow down the recovery time of an injury. Has the RICE method outlived its shelf life?

To understand the critique, you must first understand the method.

RICE is an acronym for an at-home treatment consisting of four distinct parts: rest, ice, compression, and elevation.

The initial response to an injury seems intuitive – get off your feet and relax! The application of ice numbs the area and reduces pain. Next up? Wrap using an elastic bandage to keep swelling down. Finally, elevate the affected body part. Use pillows to keep the area at, or above, heart level to minimize swelling. The RICE method was used for years as a first-line response to injuries with the caveat that a doctor should be seen if the improvement is not seen within three days.

The RICE method has come under recent scrutiny because it may slow down the healing process. One of the goals of RICE is to keep swelling down and it approaches this with gusto. All four of the steps work to reroute blood away from the injury which is a bit of overkill. Modern medicine acknowledges that reducing blood flow is helpful, cutting off blood flow is not! A side effect of this overeager effort to diminish inflammation is a reduction in the number of immune cells that run to the site. This results in a lengthier healing time. RICE critics also oppose the strict rest regime. Instead, patients should engage in movement, paying attention to their body’s cues. If it hurts, take it easy.

You don’t have to be a healthcare professional to be familiar with the RICE acronym. It has been commonly used to treat minor injuries both in and out of the doctor’s office. Only recently has it come under fire for impeding the healing process. New methods (the MEAT and METH, for example) have come on the scene adding things like tension and heat to the formula. This doesn’t mean the RICE method is worthless; the individual steps have a time and place in the pain reduction and healing process. Pay attention to your symptoms and contact a medical professional if these acronyms cause your head to spin.

_{SOURCE: United Benefit Advisors (UBA)}