An Interesting Experiment

During my working years I took first aid courses annually. One medical acronym I learned at the time is RICE... It stands for Rest / Ice / Compression / Elevation.

For years, if my children (or I) injured ourselves or had any kind of swelling, I would follow those four steps: Make them stop running around, apply an ice pack, wrap the injury with an elastic bandage, then have them elevate the injured part above the heart (to avoid further swelling).

However, a year or so ago, in an interview with the doctor who had created this acronym, I read that these steps are no longer recommended. In fact, the best way to treat a pulled muscle was NOT to rest it and ice it, but to keep using it as normal. It would heal much quicker that way.

A few days ago, I had the opportunity to try it out!

I was wandering through my flower beds, trying to find a place to put this outdoor sculpture I made a few years ago... when I slipped on a rock, twisted my ankle and gently went down.

Plants do provide a gentle cushion when you fall on them, I remember thinking as I sat there - then slowly got up, helping myself up by grabbing onto a plant!

But a few hours later, my ankle was sore. I lay down for a while. (A big mistake, it turns out: Rest did not help.) When I got up, my left ankle was swollen and I could barely walk.

What to do? Rather than ice the swelling and elevate my foot, I decided to keep moving. It was hard for a while, as I hobbled up and down stairs collecting laundry, wondering if my ankle would give out on me. But eventually the pain subsided and I forgot about my injury.

The next day, all signs of swelling were gone!

So... I've discovered that a better medical treatment for a sprained, swollen joint is to keep going, ignoring the pain?!!

(Now..., I'm not suggesting that for a broken bone!)

And I never did find a good place for that little plaque... Only now I'm afraid to venture through the flower beds for fear of slipping on a hidden stone! (One of my gardening techniques is surrounding plants with rocks to keep them from drying out.)