Try some RICE for your pains

brown-rice-brutus-fitness-approvedInjury, muscle spasms, pain, it happens to all of us. I am at the end of my third week of consistent knee pains, and rice has helped me get through it. While I am not exactly sure what caused it, I know it’s my fault that it has lasted this long as I keep re-aggravating the injury.

You see, it’s very hard for me to walk into a gym or go to a practice, as I do almost daily, and NOT pick up a weight up or demonstrate a sports related movement for instructional purposes. This usually ends up with me putting too much weight on one of my knees which is when I grit my teeth and say… “Man, I shouldn’t have done that”.

The worst part is that I know what is needed to make me better…. R-I-C-E! I have been using I-C-E, but that’s a half-assed effort (3/4 to be exact). How does RICE help? Lets break it down.

Of course if it’s obviously serious, painful, or doesn’t go away after a couple of days, go see a doctor!

What kind of rice?

Wait, you know I am not talking about food right? I’m talking about the acronym that all coaches, personal trainers and sports staff know by heart:

  • Rest
  • Ice
  • Compression
  • Elevation

Rest

Rest will of course give the body a chance to recuperate and rebuild itself. More importantly, it will prevent you from re-injuring yourself. In my case, although I feel better, my tendons/ligaments have not fully recovered enough to properly withstand the twisting motions I subject them to, resulting in further injury. If I don’t Rest my knees and allow them the time they need to recover, then I will wind up tearing something.

Ice

Ice of course Numbs the pain, but it also helps suppress the swelling. The idea is that the ice constricts the blood vessels and slows the cellular activity as it numbs the area, reducing both swelling and pain. The key is to do this often, but not for too long. 10 -15 mins every 2 hours is pretty standard I believe.

Compression

A compression bandage or brace can be used to help reduce the swelling. In my case, the compression also helped with the pain and provided support when I needed to hobble around. I used a standard knee brace that you buy at any drug store for this.

Elevation

By elevating the affected part, you help limit blood flow and swelling. The added benefit is that you also prevent use of the affected area, reinforcing the R in rice.

So there you go, the recipe to ease your aches and pains is RICE. Of course if it’s obviously serious, painful, or doesn’t go away after a couple of days, go see a doctor!
In the meanwhile, have some brown rice, it’s good for you.

If you have any other remedies you use to help your aches and pains, please share below!

 

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