Can "rice" cure sprained ankles? Don't disbelieve it, it's true!

Author: Zhou Mouwang, Chief Physician, Peking University Third Hospital

Reviewer: Ren Dajiang, Chief Physician of the Seventh Medical Center of PLA General Hospital

In daily life, sprained ankles, also known as ankle sprains in medicine, are very common. Ankle sprains can be caused by uneven roads or missing a step when going down the stairs.

Ankle sprains are mostly ligament injuries and require emergency treatment. If not treated in time, the ligaments will not heal well and it is easy to sprain again, gradually forming the so-called habitual ankle sprain.

If someone told you that "rice" must be used to treat ankle sprains in the early stages, would you believe it?

Don’t be quick to say you don’t believe it, because the “rice” mentioned here does not refer to the rice we eat, but the English letters of rice “RICE”.

1. How does “RICE” treat ankle sprains?

R stands for rest. For example, if you suddenly sprain your ankle during exercise, you should stop exercising immediately.

I stands for ice, which means ice compress. Blood vessels contract when they are exposed to cold, and this contraction can stop bleeding.

C stands for compression. Using an elastic bandage or ankle brace to apply pressure can also reduce bleeding and promote its absorption.

E stands for elevation, which means raising the affected limb. For example, if your left foot is sprained, you should raise your left leg, and if your right foot is sprained, you should raise your right leg. Raising the affected limb can promote the disappearance of hematoma and speed up recovery.

Figure 1 Original copyright image, no permission to reprint

In fact, the "RICE" treatment principle is applicable not only to ankle ligament sprains, but also to sports injuries of soft tissues such as ligaments, muscles, tendons, joint capsules, cartilages, etc. in other parts of the body.

Among them, there are several common problems that I would like to share with you here.

2. How to apply ice correctly after sports injuries?

If someone is injured on the sports field, liquid nitrogen is usually sprayed to act as an ice pack.

So if you suffer sports injuries in daily life, such as a sprained ankle, how do you apply ice?

If there are ice cubes in the refrigerator, we can make an ice pack for cooling. Just put the ice in a plastic bag and add half water.

Figure 2 Original copyright image, no permission to reprint

Why do we use half ice and half water? Because the temperature of ice compress must reach 0℃, while the temperature of ice water is exactly 0℃. At the same time, our body is an irregular shape. After taking a plastic bag filled with half ice and half water, you can apply it better according to the different shapes of the body.

In addition, the ice compress time is generally 20-30 minutes. If you feel it is too cold to apply it directly with a fresh-keeping bag, you can wrap a towel around it. This method of ice compress is more convenient, cheaper, and easier to do.

I would like to emphasize one point here. There will be some bleeding in the acute phase of sports trauma. Generally speaking, the bleeding will stabilize after 48 hours. If some blood-activating treatment is performed in the early stage of trauma, especially within 24 hours, it will destroy the coagulation mechanism and aggravate the bleeding.

Now, many Chinese medicines for external use can promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, and can speed up recovery by promoting blood circulation, but it is better to use them after 48 hours.

3. After sports trauma, pressing to stop bleeding is also important!

We know that no matter where the sprain occurs, there will be swelling. This is actually caused by early bleeding, so early hemostasis is very important.

Taking the ankle as an example, we will introduce to you the method of early hemostasis.

First, we need to find the injured part. Generally speaking, when the ankle is sprained, the foot turns inward, which easily sprains the outside of the foot, that is, the lateral collateral ligament. If the foot turns outward, it is the medial collateral ligament that is sprained. This is relatively easy to find.

Figure 3 Original copyright image, no permission to reprint

At the same time, find the most painful point on the sprained side and press it for 3-5 minutes. Why?

Because the most painful point is the damaged point of the ligament. There will be bleeding at the damaged place of the ligament. If the bleeding is not stopped and the swelling is severe, a hematoma will form. It will take a long time to slowly absorb and it cannot be completely absorbed.

The most effective way to prevent swelling in the early stage is to press the bleeding point to stop the bleeding, including the ice compress and pressure bandage mentioned above, which can actually help reduce swelling. However, it should be emphasized that the pressure should be moderate and not too strong to aggravate ligament damage.

4. How to prevent sports injuries?

First of all, you need to warm up before exercising. For example, you need to relax your joints and stretch your muscles before running.

Second, the amount and intensity of exercise should be gradual.

For example, marathon is a very popular sport. People who run regularly have no problem participating in the competition. However, people who do not exercise normally but suddenly start running are very likely to suffer sports injuries such as muscle strain and ligament injury during such intense exercise. This is because they do not pay attention to the amount and intensity of exercise and do not follow a gradual process.

Third, protection during exercise is also very important.

For example, many people ski in winter, and when skiing at a fast speed, it is easy to cause sports injuries. When skiing, people wear ski boots, which protect the ankles and make them less prone to injury, but the knees are prone to injury.

Figure 4 Original copyright image, no permission to reprint

Therefore, by warming up, proceeding step by step, and paying attention to protection, you can avoid sports injuries to a large extent.