My husband sprained his ankle last weekend. He’s a farmer and we wanted to get him back on his feet and feeling good as soon as possible. I taught him the acronym R.I.C.E. to treat his sprained ankle. I share this acronym any chance I get to help others remember how to treat a sprain or a strain.
R stands for Rest. You should take it easy and rest the affected extremity as much as possible. It may be necessary to use crutches for a few days in the event of a bad lower extremity sprain. Relax and avoid doing anything that causes pain.
I stands for Ice. Begin icing as soon as possible upon injury. Leave the ice on for 15-20 minutes at a time. Continue to ice every two hours or so while awake for the next 48 hours or until swelling goes down.
C stands for Compression. Wrap the affected extremity with an elastic compression bandage or brace.
E stands for Elevation. Elevate the injured extremity above the level of the heart. This helps keep swelling down.
If needed, over-the-counter pain relievers (ex: acetaminophen or ibuprofen) can help to manage pain.
Good luck with your sprain or strain! I hope using R.I.C.E. helps you feel ‘as good as new’ soon!
If you are worried a bone is broken, the only sure fire way to tell is with an x-ray.
I always tell my patients, “If I had a nursing superpower, it would be x-ray eyes!”
I am a nurse, but you should never use this information in place of a Doctor’s evaluation.
Hi, my name is Asha. I am 34-years-old and am a nurse by profession. Right now I am battling Breast Cancer. My husband and I have been married for 8 years and together we have a sweet seven-year-old daughter, a fun four-year-old son, and a lovable bunny named Caramel. I enjoy spending time with family, taking photographs, scrapbooking, hunting, fishing, cooking and gardening.
This post currently has 9 responses.
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Michelle S
Silly me – I actually was expecting rice to be a part of it. I knew about the ice but the compression is new to me. My kids both play sports so this may certainly come in handy.
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gloria patterson
You took great care of him! RICE I like that it will be one I remember and pass on
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Sarah L
I sprained my ankle 3 weeks ago and used all of these. I did have an x-ray but nothing broken. They now have neat braces that have velcro straps to close and it’s very easy to use.
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ellen beck
I always remember the RICE way to do things. We are outside a lot and are always getting sprains, strains you name it. It is so easy to know what to do when you can shorten it like this. Hope he is feeling better!
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Jeanine Carlson
Great advice- I’m glad you also included to get an xray. Folks sometimes think they can tough it out only to find out later that they had a fracture or break that should have been looked at by a doctor. Glad hubby is on the mend!
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Peggy Nunn
We always remember RICE. The kids are so active. Thank you for the reminder.
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Lauryn R
RICE is such a great way to remember what you need to do with a sprained ankle! Thank you so much for sharing this. 🙂 I tore almost all of the tendons/ligaments in my right ankle as all teenager and did not follow doctors directions, I took my brace off way too early. Now over 10 years later I still pay for it.
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Marti Tabora
My son had a class at school that taught RICE for minor injuries and sprains and he has remembered it all these years later. It definitely works.
that is ture ny grandma would put the ice and she tlel you sit and then if you need up get someone to help