Sometimes, you might end up hurting your ankle or by going through some sort of strain or sprain. For situations like these, doctors advise rice first aid or rice method for injuries i.e resting, ice, compression, and elevation.
The RICE method is a very simple, self-care technique that can be used to ease pain, reduce swells, and speed the healing process. Minor injuries can be treated with the RICE first aid method. You can try RICE methods if you have an ankle that is itchy or a wrist that is broken. However, if you have some sort of pain or swelling that will just not leave you and get worse, time to see a doctor.
Rice method for injuries/sprained ankle
The RICE methods have the following four steps that one has to follow:
Rest
Pain is the signal sent by your body to tell you that something is wrong. If you are hurt, the first thing that you need to do is stop every activity that you are doing and rest for as long as you can for the initial days. If you don’t do it, there are chances that the injuries will get severe and delay the recovery. Also, make sure to not put weight for 24 to 48 hours to avoid bruising. Resting will further help in preventing bruising. Rest is probably the most important part of the rice method for injuries.
Ice
It is a type of cold compression therapy for the sprained ankle. Ice is a tool that is generally used to reduce swelling and pain. In frostbite, you can use ice to apply in the affected area for 10 mins and then remove it for the next 10 mins. For the first two days, repeating the process would be the best thing to do. In case you don’t have an ice pack, use frozen vegetables like a frozen bag of peas or corn which will do the job just fine. Ice is the key material of rice first aid method for injuries.
Compression
Compression or cold compression therapy is like wrapping up the sprained ankle so that the swelling doesn’t get worse. Use an elastic bandage to wrap the area that is suffering. Tie it lightly. You can use an ACE bandage also. The bandage shouldn’t be tied tight or it will stop the blood flow from happening. Check the skin below the bandage wrap. If the color of the same changes to blue or if you feel cold and numb in the area or even tingly, time to lose the bandage. If the symptoms continue to stay, seek medical help immediately until it gets all serious. Compression is the third element of Rice first aid method.
Elevation
The elevation is a technique in which the injured or sore part is taken above the heart. This process reduces pain and avoids any sort of internal bleeding if there is any that can end up to causing bruises. It is not at all tricky as it might be sounding right now. So, for instance, if you have a sore ankle, you can prop the ankle on your pillows while you are resting on the sofa. Even if you are not icing the injured area, the advice is to keep the sprained ankle raised. Last element of the rice first aid method is Elevation.
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Useful info..thanks for share