Normally at this time of year I see a lot of sports injuries in my Clinic, which occurred either on the field of play or in the gym setting. The time directly after injury is crucial in the race to get back to normal movement.
The traditional approach of RICE and POLICE focus on the acute management of a soft tissue injury, PEACE and LOVE encompasses the full range of soft tissue injury management from immediate care to the subsequent management and rehabilitation.
These management acronyms suggested by Dubois and Esculier in the British Journal of Sports Medicine Blog in 2019 and again in an editorial in 2020 highlights the importance of patient education and addressing psychosocial factors as the treatment of clients with soft tissue injuries.
The PEACE acronym and approach helps to addresses the immediate care following an injury:
P for Protection,
E for Elevation,
A for Avoid anti-inflammatory modalities,
C for Compress and
E for Educate.
The LOVE acronym and approach addresses the subsequent management and rehabilitation:
L for Load,
O for Optimism,
V for Vascularisation and
E for Exercise.
Many of us know and are aware of the evidence supporting these approaches, but isn’t it sometimes easier to fall back on our familiar ways or the ways that we have been taught and just reach for the ice pack when treating an acute ankle sprain or hamstring injury? A full knowledge of the mechanism of the injury as well as any underlying issues will help with diagnosis and a quicker return to activities. Speak to me directly and I will guide you on the best path to recovery.
Please click here for more: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/54/2/72
