Warning
The RICE tips (Rest - Ice - Compression - Elevation) support the healing process of muscle injuries. All injuries should be seen by a medical practitioner, so if you are not 100% sure that it only is a minor muscle injury, you must consult one as soon as possible.
Rest
When you injure a muscle, you should rest it immediately! Don’t move it, don’t put weight on it. This enables it to heal and you avoid further damage. Stop what you were doing and apply the 3 following tips.
Ice
Ice or any other cold medium will reduce swelling and bleeding. Use a damp cloth like a tea towel to protect the skin from direct contact with the ice.
Do not apply ice for too long, as the body will try to “rescue” the area by sending a lot of blood to it. This will increase swelling and bleeding, thus destryoing the good effects of the ice. The skin should look pale when the ice is taken off - if it is red, it has been over-iced.
Compression
Compression will also restrict the bleeding, but be careful to concentrate the pressure on the injured area - you don’t want to cut off the blood supply to the rest of the limb. A firm pad can be placed on the area of the injury and be held in place with strapping.
Elevation
When you injure a muscle in an arm or leg,
elevating it above the level of the torso for as long as possible
can do wonders for the healing process. Elevation lets gravity do
the work of reducing the swelling.
Putting your legs up against the wall with the knees slightly bent will make elevation even more effective. In this position, you will want to limit the elevation time to 5-10 minutes and you may need to put a small pillow under your lower back to avoid injury to your lower back.
Don't check!
Don’t check too soon whether an injury still hurts. Doing so is the easiest way to ruin the good work you have done by following the RICE technique. Give the injury at least 24 hours to enter fully into the healing process. As soon as inflammation subsides, mobilization work can be started to ensure that the muscle retains its range of movement.
Massage is particularly effective roughly two days after the injury occurred.