Heat vs Ice
Have you ever injured yourself and been confused whether you should put heat or ice on the affected area? Well there’s a lot more to it so let’s take a deeper look into what you should do next time you get hurt!
R.I.c.e
You have probably heard of R.I.C.E - rest, ice, compress and elevate. This is the commonly known management pathway for acute soft tissue injuries. The aim is to reduce inflammation and swelling by restricting the blood flow to the area. However, the various stages of inflammation actually help repair damaged tissue so what should we do instead?
PHASES OF TISSUE REPAIR
Lets first quickly look at the different phases of tissue repair.
Bleeding (Immediate – Few Minutes)
The body's first response to injury
Blood vessels constrict (vasoconstriction) to stop bleeding
Platelets form a clot to stabilise the injury
Inflammation (Hours – 5 Days)
White blood cells rush to the area to remove debris
Swelling, redness, warmth, and pain occur as blood flow increases
This phase sets the stage for healing but should not be prolonged
Proliferation (4 Days – 3 Weeks)
Fibroblasts produce collagen to rebuild damaged tissue
New blood vessels form to support healing
Granulation tissue fills the injury site, providing a foundation for new cells
Remodelling (3 Weeks – 1+ Years)
Collagen is reorganised to strengthen and align with tissue demands
Scar tissue forms but gradually becomes more functional
The goal is to restore normal strength and flexibility
Each phase is crucial for proper healing, and factors like movement, nutrition, and treatment approaches can influence recovery.
PEACE & LOVE
No you haven’t accidentally clicked to another page. Let me introduce you to P.E.A.C.E & L.O.V.E. This is a new management pathway for soft tissue injuries that has been developed by Dubois and Esculier (2019) to incorporate all stages of tissues healing. The P.E.A.C.E aspect is designed to cover immediate care while L.O.V.E addresses ongoing management. This makes it a more well-rounded approached compared to R.I.C.E which leads to better outcomes.
Conclusion
As you can see, there is a lot more to recovering from a soft tissue injury than just heat or ice. So next time you find yourself with a soft tissue injury (whether it’s a rolled ankle or pulled hamstring) instead of following the R.I.C.E method, try giving it some PEACE & LOVE!