RICE or MEAT: Which Is the Best for a New Sports Injury?
If you played too hard and have a new injury, you may be curious about how best to treat it. And if you learned anything about sports medicine in high school, the acronym RICE might sound familiar.
These days, there are two major methods for immediate treatment of a sports injury, RICE or MEAT.
Before determining which one to consider for your own injury, it helps to know what each involves.
RICE
R: Rest / immobilization
I: Ice / cold therapy
C: Compression
E: Elevation
If you’re like many, you may not always remember what every letter means. Ice is the one that tends to stick out in people’s minds, and if you’ve been injured you may just slap a cold pack on your elbow or stick your foot in a bucket of ice.
This can provide some pain relief, so you continue this process for the next 1-2 weeks and your injury lingers.
What are you doing wrong? Is it the other three letters that you aren’t using or is it the treatment in general? There is more evidence emerging, showing that ice and rest may prolong injury time due to restrictions in blood flow and metabolic activity that reduce the rate of healing. Immobilization can also lead to increased scar tissue and restrictions in mobility.
MEAT
M: Movement
E: Exercise
A: Analgesics (painkillers)
T: Treatment
This treatment is the opposite of the legendary RICE method. It places a large priority on early movement, instead of rest. The theory being that when you move, you allow the tissue to grow in an organized fashion and don’t get in the way of the body’s natural inflammatory process. Once movement is pain free you can progress to a more structured exercise program.
For analgesics, there are a variety of over-the-counter options such as NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and Tylenol, and even natural painkillers such as turmeric, capsaicin and magnesium.
It’s best to consult with your physician before taking anything to determine what’s right for you. For example, NSAIDs have been shown to potentially dampen tissue healing.
So … RICE or MEAT?
Both of these treatments may help to provide short-term relief, and they can also be used together. For example, for the first 1-2 days after injury, ice, compression, and elevation can be used with light movement. After this, ditch the ice and place an increased emphasis on progressive movement in a pain-free range to allow the body to naturally heal the affected tissues.
However, if you are still in pain or feeling restricted in your movement for 1 to 2 weeks after your injury, you may want to consult with a physical therapist – to help you return to full strength and get back in the game faster.
