Acute injury management
This advice should be followed for 3-5 days following a soft tissue injury.
When following PRICE it is also important to avoid HARM, hence the saying:
‘Give PRICE and avoid HARM‘
- PROTECT – Protect the injured tissue from undue stress that may disrupt the healing process and/or cause further injury.
- REST – This reduces the energy requirements of the area, avoids any unnecessary increase in blood flow, ensures protection of the area and optimises healing.
- ICE – The ice helps constrict the blood vessels thereby limiting bleeding and reducing the accumulation of unnecessary scar tissue. Crushed ice wrapped in a damp towel (to prevent ice burn) is best (ice cubes can be wrapped in the cloth and smashed against a wall to crush the cubes). Ice should be applied immediately after injury for 20 minutes every 3-4 hours or no more than 5-10 minutes at a time on bony areas.
- COMPRESSION – Simple off-the-shelf compression bandages such as Tubigrip™ and adjustable neoprene supports are adequate. It is important to ensure the bandages are not too tight to cause pins and needles or any loss of feeling around the joint.
- ELEVATION – Lowers the blood pressure and helps limit bleeding and encourages drainage of fluid through the lymphatic system.
AVOID
H – Heat (e.g. hot bath, sauna)
A – Alcohol
R – Running
M – Massage
Seek medical attention if your pain in uncontrolled and/or symptoms are not improving promptly.
