| 02 March 2010
Whenever you injure yourself, you are taught to follow the traditional first aid protocol of R.I.C.E. For those who haven’t heard of it, R.I.C.E. stands for: Rest,Ice,Compression,Elevation.
Considering that musculoskeletal injuries are the second most expensive cause of lost productivity at work in Australia there is now a more advanced way to help injured workers relieve pain and get back to work as soon as possible...
This M.I.C.E. protocol is a more effective and holistic approach to reducing pain and inflammation because it addresses the physical AND chemical aspects of pain and inflammation simultaneously.
M.I.C.E. stands for: Move as much as you can
Ice
Compression
Eat anti-inflammatory foods
Rather than automatically rest the injured area, you should stay active as much as you can. This prevents muscle wasting and joint stiffness which delays your return to work. You should only rest if it is unbearable for you to move. Even then get active as quickly as you can. Prolonged bed rest or immobilization has been shown to be one of the most damaging things that you can do for back and neck pains.
Don’t ever heat an injured area. You apply ice to it. If a footy player strains a muscle or joint you don’t ever see them apply heat to it. They correctly strap the injured area with a compressive bandage and they apply ice to reduce the swelling. Workplaces should all have some compressive elastic bandaging in their first aid kit.
Workplaces should have flexible ice-gel packs that you can store in the freezer at work. Just wrap these packs in a dry facecloth so you don’t get wet. You can secure the gel pack by tucking it into your clothes or wrapping it around the injured area for about 20 minutes at a time.
If that is impractical at your workplace try cooling creams and gels like Ice- Gel that you can rub or spray on to your skin. Unlike anti-inflammatory creams, you can use these cooling gels as often as you like without side effects. It is a great back up for circumstances when you just can’t use ice.
If you want to quickly reduce the pain and inflammation naturally it is important for your body to make your own anti-inflammatories. Yes, that’s right. You don’t have to go to the pharmacy for anti-inflammatories. Your body can produce them if you supply your body with the right ingredients.
Fruits, vegetables and good fats like fish, olive oil and flaxseed oil are the essential ingredients in making your own natural anti-inflammatories. You should eat fresh or canned fish at least three times a week when you are not in pain. If you are in pain you should be eating fish every day and eating as many fruits and vegetables as possible. The more of these foods you can eat the quicker your pain will subside.
The M.I.C.E. approach does have its side-effects, however. By avoiding anti-inflammatory drugs and eating anti-inflammatory foods, in addition to a quicker recovery from injury you will also be at risk of a more radiant skin, improved heart health,brain function and better overall health and wellbeing.
