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The Need For Speed
It is critically important to apply ice and compression immediately after an injury. Studies show that recovery from an injury is directly related to how soon ice and compression are applied. More Ice Therapy facts »
The RICES Protocol
Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation and Stabilization
RICES is a common and indeed the recommended treatment for typical sports injuries. No other method of treating sprains, strains and contusions is as effective as RICES.
- Rest
- Ice
- Compression
- Elevation and
- Stabilization
Ice Right compression bandage provides the ICE, COMPRESSION, and STABILIZATION components of the RICES formula - only you can provide the REST and ELEVATION!
Ice and compression critical in promoting rapid healing of an injury, but stabilization is also important. The Ice Right bandage provides the type of stabilization needed to promote recovery: the built-in ice pocket prevents the ice from moving as it melts, and the bandage itself ensures that the ice baggie does not move away from the injured area.
How Important Is RICES?
RICES is vitally important to the fast recovery from acute injuries. The following table illustrates how much faster actual patients returned to functionality when RICES was used:
Table 1.1
| Days Before This Activity Without Pain | |||
| Treatment | Walk | Climb Stairs | Run And Jump |
| Early RICES | 2.6 | 3.7 | 6.0 |
| Delayed RICES | 5.2 | 6.8 | 11.0 |
| Thermotherapy | 7.8 | 9.0 | 14.8 |
Put simply, the patients that received RICES immediately after their injury recovered twice as fast as those receiving RICES 12 hours after injury.
Patients that received RICES immediately after injury recovered almost 3 TIMES FASTER than those who didn't receive any form of cryotherapy.
The above are actual results from research completed in a clinical setting - research and observations by physicians and medical professionals. These results can be duplicated and are only one instance of a large body of evidence that illustrates the importance of RICES.
(Data are adapted from Kenneth L. Knight "Cryotherapy In Sport Injury Management" and "Cryotherapy In Ankle Sprains" from The American Journal of Sports Medicine).
Why Is Ice So Important?
Why Can't I Use A Chemical Ice Pack?
Ice is the most important component to the RICES protocol - without ice, the treatment simply won't work. Synthetic freezer packs or frozen gel packs can be used when no ice is available, but ice produces significantly better results without the risk of further injury.
- Ice transfers 4 times more cold to the injury site than gel packs.
- Ice lasts longer than gel packs.
- Gel packs must be cooled to very low temperatures to achieve even half the effectiveness of ice.
- Chemical gel packs can cause frostbite, even on hot days.
- Ice is available almost everywhere – fast food and other restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations and the freezer in your home.
- Ice is usually free.
- Ice gel packs take time to freeze – if it is not already frozen you are out of luck.
- Professional athletes, doctors and clinicians, and athletic trainers all prefer ice over ice gel packs.
- Instant freeze cold packs never get cold enough to effectively cool an injury.
- Instant freeze cold packs may leak caustic chemicals that burn instantly on contact.