Rice is a great ingredient to elevate your soup to another level, and what better day to really up your soup-making game than on Homemade Soup Day! On Wednesday, February 4, you can treat your friends or family to some wild rice soup, minestrone, or the classic chicken noodle. RICE is also good first aid for injuries, but we’re not talking about grains of rice here—we’re talking about the acronym RICE, which stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation.
Whether it’s a serious or minor injury, you can use this technique to help with pain and swelling immediately after it’s happened. In fact, if this treatment is applied correctly, it may reduce your recovery time. If you need help for a larger problem, call our office immediately.
Rest – This stands for resting your foot and resting from activities for a certain period of time. If you feel any type of pain, you should rest from whatever is causing it. Don’t try to work out through the pain. If you do, you risk sustaining a larger injury that could keep you inactive for longer.
Ice – Putting an ice pack on your foot will relieve pain and reduce swelling. You should use ice on the injury for 15 to 20 minutes at a time, three times a day, within 24 to 72 hours of your injury. This can greatly decrease the damage incurred.
Compression – Your ankle or foot can be wrapped with compression bandage to reduce swelling and inflammation. When the injured area is compressed, the tissue is compressed, which then narrows the blood vessels that would otherwise become inflamed.
Elevation – During the first 48 hours of your injury, you should try to keep your foot elevated. Elevation decreases swelling and the pain associated with it. Try to keep your lower limb above hip level to keep it “properly propped.”
Using this first aid for injuries can speed your healing time and also take away a lot of initial pain and damage to your foot. It is not a substitute for podiatric care, though. Call Kevin J. Powers, DPM, in Bloomington, IN, at (812) 333-4422 to get help for any serious injury like a broken or sprained ankle.
