In recent years, the standard practice for injury management has been RICE – Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. However, current evidence-based practice suggests an innovative approach, PEACE. The PEACE approach involves a focus on Protection, Elevation, Avoiding anti-inflammatories, Compression, and Education.
Gone are the days of ‘put ice on it, take a pill, and don’t use it!’ Instead, early return to movement, while protecting the injury from activities the increase pain, has been shown to accelerate recovery significantly. Compressing and elevating the injury continue to be treatments supported by evidence to promote healing. The biggest shift from RICE to PEACE is avoiding anti-inflammatories, including ice. Ice and anti-inflammatories are minimally supported by evidence to help with injury healing. In fact, recent studies show that these two things delay the healing process, making it take longer for you to get back on your feet!
The next time you have an unfortunate injury, try PEACE instead of RICE and reach out to a physical therapist to help you get back to 100% as quickly as possible.
