RICE Treatment - is it right?

I have just 2 weeks of RICE treatment to go and I’ve never mentioned what this entails.  RICE is a mnemonic for the common treatment of a joint or muscle injury. 

RICE = Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.


Rest: allows an injured part of the body to recover
Ice: helps reduce pain and swelling.  Use a soft cloth between the ice and the skin, so as not to cause restricted blood flow


Compression: helps to limit inflation and (in my case) hold the moving parts in alignment
Elevation: also helps to reduce inflation and, along with a gentle massage, improves blood flow. 

My pain pill of choice is the NSAID Aleve, which works well with RICE to reduce inflammation.
There are lots of variations of RICE, which all include the basic principals:

HI-RICE = Hydration, Ibuprofen, RICE
PRICE = Protection, RICE
PRICES = Protection, RICE, Support
PRINCE = Protection, RI, NSAIDs, CE
RICER = RICE, Referral).

Guess I’m actually doing PRICE or PRINCE, but it’s obvious to protect an injury and not make it worse.  After 4 weeks of RICE, to allow my structural damage to begin mending, I am now ready to start POLICE.  Another mnemonic used for common muscular damage.
POLICE = Protection, Optimal Loading, Ice, Compression and Elevation

At this point the Rest requirement has been replaced with "Optimal Loading".  Basically optimal loading is non-impact exercise.  No running (that was never a problem) or hiking yet, but shallow knee bends, leg lifts, walking Mission Bay (with a cane) or riding a bike is fine.  This allows me to increase both my range of motion (pain-free motion that is) and strengthen the surrounding muscles that had almost month off.

I plan to take Optimal Loading quite literally,and spend next week in San Felipe getting ‘optimally loaded’.  The Beach House needs to be closed up for the summer, and I am sure walking along a soft sand beach would be considered ‘non-impact’.

For a muscle injury, even with inflammation, ARITA seems to be the current Internet craze.
ARITA = Active Recovery Is The Answer

disclaimer:  I am not a medical advisor, I am just relating my experiences on this blog.  Please do not fail to consult a professional for a valid medical opinion.