Thursday 11 April 2013

Sports- injury? Do not use ice!

A common method to treat sports injury is RICE:

R = rest
I  = ice
C = compression
E = elevation

However, few physiotherapist and all practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medice say "RICE is not nice"
Why? The aim of any treatment should be to reduce/eliminate pain and to promote the healing proces.The R.I.C.E. method works counterproductive as far as the healing proces is concerned.

R: What is needed for an injury to heal is blood. The white bloodcells clean up dead tissue and prevent possible infection. Rest does not improve the blood flow. A little movement, without causing pain,helps the healing proces.
I.: The first priority is to get the swelling down. Ice is very effective to get the swelling down and it stops the pain, since the injured part feels numb. The reason why it feels numb is because the bloodcirculation in the injured area has stopped. When the aim is to reduce the pain, it is very effective. When the aim is to support the healing proces, ice slows the healing proces down. It ultimately causes stagnation, which in itself is the definition of pain. One of the main principles of Chinese Medicine is: Tõng ze bu tóng, bu tõng ze tóng -Without free flow there is pain, when there is free flow there is no pain-.
C: Compression limits the swelling.It does however limit the blood flow in the area, depending on how tight the compression is applied.
E: 'Elevation involves simply raising the injured part above the level of the heart to let the force of gravity aid in draining excess fluid. This method is also employed in Chinese sports medicine' ( Tom Bisio, A tooth from the tiger's mouth). 

In the video interview with Gary Reini, a profesional trainer who works with many professional teams, Mr. Reini says: "RICE is wrong. RICE is not nice! Ice actually causes a back flow of the lymphatic fluid into the interstitial space and actually creates more congestion, not less"