The RICE Method & Why It May Not Be As Effective As We Thought

amberlynwellbeing
Sep 3, 2023
2 min read

If you grew up playing sports there's a high probability that you injured your self and were given the instructions to ice it, rest it and elevate it. I grew up playing soccer, then ran cross country and track. I've had a few sprained ankles in my time and a strained muscle or two. I was told to use the RICE method, it’s been the common go to treatment for years.

Well what is it?

RICE is a method to treat soft tissue injuries (ligaments, tendons, muscles) and it’s been used since the late 70s. It stands for Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate. Even though it’s been the go to treatment method for decades it turns out that it may not be the most effective method and may actually delay the healing process.

The overall goal of the RICE method is to restrict inflammation (blood flow) and diminish pain. Inflammation is a normal part of the healing and occurs when new blood and nutrients are coming in. By doing a complete rest there are chances of having your mobility and stability being compromised in the long run.

So, what is recommended instead?

The focus is no longer on limiting the swelling but on moving the injured area. Injuries exist on a spectrum of severity, so for my purposes we are talking about minor soft tissue injuries. Movement can actually encourage quicker healing and long term benefits, such as mobility and stability. And lucky us, there is an acronym for this new way of treating said injuries.

MEAT

MEAT stands for Movement, Exercise, Analgesics, and Treatment. This is more of a progression guide on how to care for your injury. Instead of complete rest, you are encouraged to move, nothing major and nothing above your pain tolerance. Movement and Exercise will put a load onto the injured area and around it which will encourage new tissue to grow. Kind of like when you want to build muscle and lifting weights is the most effective way to do that.

Once the pain lessens you can move onto more structured exercise. Depending on severity and resources you may work with a physical therapist. Just make sure you’re focusing on careful and gentle movements. The more Movement and Exercise the stronger and more flexible the affected area will be in healing.

Analgesics are anything that reduces pain, and can be used through all three stages of this treatment protocol (Ibuprofen and Tylenol) .

Treatment is the long haul part of the progression. It may involve different types of therapies. Mostly I would say it focuses on why the injury happened and what can get you back to pre-injury health. For an ankle sprain, in my cases it was lack of ankle stability and weakness and certain parts of my legs, so, I would be primarily focus on improving both of those. Form issues could be another thing to address. Talking to some kind of health professional about treatment options can be helpful in finding a place to start.

My takeaways from this, is that I have been treating my injuries wrong for years. More importantly, controlled movement is essential in healing quickly and correctly. Who knows, maybe another acronym will come out in a few years. We are always finding out more about the body and how to care for it.