Using RICE To Treat Injury

I injured my calf muscle yesterday during my run. Fortunately, I have enough experience with calf injuries to know exactly what to do about it. I also know what to do to avoid them, but for some reason, I don't pay any attention to that side of it. But that's for another post.

Anyway, I use RICE to treat my calf injuries. What is RICE you might ask? Well...

Ah, yea, not exactly what I mean by using RICE to treat my injuries. How about this...

Again, not really what I'm talking about. Instead, RICE is an acronym for Rest-Ice-Compression-Elevation.

Here's some more detail that I "borrowed" from the National Athletic Trainers' Alliance:

R = Rest
Resting an injured area is necessary to allow the body time to get the effects of the trauma under control and avoid additional stress and damage to the injured tissue. The period of rest required will vary depending on the severity of the injury (e.g. days to weeks). People who do not rest an acute (sudden or traumatic) injury can prolong the inflammation period and increase the healing time required, thereby delaying the recovery.

I = Ice
Ice applied promptly to an injury can slow down or minimize some of the inflammation. The cold causes a closing of the arterioles in the tissue, which reduces the bleeding. The local tissue metabolism slows down reducing its need for oxygen and nutrients, and the nerve impulses are slowed considerably to reduce the pain that's felt, providing a numbing effect.

Examples of ice treatment include using an ice bag or ice bucket for 15-20 minutes or ice massage for 7-10. Heat should only be applied after you are sure that the bleeding and swelling has stopped completely; otherwise, an individual's recovery time will be delayed.

C = Compression
Compression is an application of an Ace Bandage or similar item around the injured area. Its purpose is to help control swelling and to provide mild support.

Any wrap should be applied carefully. Too tight a bandage could constrict or interrupt vital circulation to the area.

E = Elevation
Elevation involves raising the injured area above the level of the heart as much as possible. This position promotes the lessening or elimination of swelling through the use of gravity and lymph drainage system.

The NATA also provides some sound advice for preventing injuries. Let's see how I stack up against their recommendations:

To prevent injuries, athletes should:

• Be in proper physical condition (OK, I'm working on this one).
• Warm up and stretch before participating in any sports or exercise (Ah, forgot to do this one before my run yesterday).
• Always wear properly fitting shoes, and replace athletic shoes as soon as the tread wears out or the heel wears down on one side (I think I'm OK on this one... I still have some heel left over).
• Nourish their muscles by eating a well-balanced diet (I'm working on this one, but hey, it was just Halloween, so give me a break!).
• Use or wear appropriate protective equipment (not gonna start trail running with a cup... sorry, not gonna happen). 
• Maintain hydration (I drank plenty the night before... wine counts, right?).
• Maintain a healthy weight (yea, I'm working on this one too). 
• Avoid exercising or playing sports when tired or in pain (I didn't know it was possible to not be tired or in pain!).
• Walk and work on even surfaces (Yea, OK, I will stick to the even surface trails--or not).

So it appears I might have missed a few of the injury prevention tips. But hey, I'm a trail jogger. That's what we do. So I'll just have to continue getting better at recovery.

OK, so off I go now for some rice. The food kind I mean... it's dinner time!

How about you? How do you treat your injuries?