6 Top Drawbacks of R.I.C.E.:

1. Takes at least 2-8 weeks to heal.
2. Does not increase range of motion in ankle.
3. Does not repair neural damage in ankle joint.
4. Does not strengthen ankle in any way.
5. Increases risk of ankle injury in the future.
6. Increases risk of knee (A.C.L. - Anterior Cruciate Ligament) and hip injuries.

1) Takes at least 2-8 weeks to heal.

If you have had a previous ankle injury and used the R.I.C.E. system, you already know it does not yield quick results. First of all, ice is only effective for the first 36-72 hours. After that, you will notice the ankle is still very swollen, bruised and stiff. But, the r.I.C.E system says at that point, you should just rest and wait. Well, left by itself, the ankle will heal very slowly. There is most likely some ligament damage and ligaments heal very slowly o their own. So, you can expect a minimum of a two week healing period, but most likely it will be closer to a month.

2) Does not increase range of motion in ankle.

When you sprain an ankle, the body swells the area to decrease range of motion and limit any further injury. As you continue to rest it, the swelling and stiffness go down slowly, but it takes a very long time. Further, even when the swelling is completely gone, you will notice that the ankle is still very stiff. The original injury causes adhesions to the muscles, known as knots. There may also be some scar tissue which further limits the range of motion of your ankle joint. Of course, this will set you up for injuring it again.

3) Does not repair neural damage in ankle joint.

One of the hidden problems with an injury is the damage done to the neuromuscular system. In other words, the ability of the nervous system and the muscular system to communicate. The nervous system tells them muscles what to do. When you sprain an ankle, the communication between the nervous system and the ankle joint gets disrupted and never fully recovers unless you do something to repair it. R.I.C.E. does absolutely nothing to repair this impaired communication, further slowing down the healing process and increasing your risk for injury.

4) Does not strengthen ankle in any way.

As you lay there in bed, the muscles in your ankle joint will slowly heal, but they will also atrophy. When you stop using muscles, they get weak and inflexible. The human body is meant to move and endure physical challenge everyday. If you don’t actively strengthen your ankle, it will never recover from the injury. Not only will it heal much slower, but it will always be more susceptible to injury. it will also

5) Increases risk of ankle injury in the future.

Well, by just icing, elevating and resting your ankle, you can see that you are not properly rehabilitating the muscles and joint. As a result, your ankle will be weaker, less flexible, there will be impaired neuromuscular communication. After about a month, you will get back to your normal activities, but your ankle will be ripe for another injury. You have to get in there and really fix the weakness and inflexibility. That is the only way to insure you are at a much lower risk for future injury.

6) Increases risk of knee (A.C.L. - Anterior Cruciate Ligament), hip and back injuries.

This is one of the biggest drawbacks of R.I.C.E. Sure, it’s a big inconvenience to have an ankle sprain. But, it’s nothing compared to tearing your A.C.L. in the knee. That type of injury means surgery and up to a year of recovery. Plus, most people never fully heal from that type of injury. How does that relate to the ankle?

Your ankle is a mobile joint that can move in all directions. Now, when you get back to normal activities and sports, you will need that mobility from somewhere. It simply goes up the kinetic chain of the body to the next joint, which is the knee. Unfortunately , the knee is an immobile joint. If the ankle be your body has to compensate for the lack of mobility.

The ankle is a mobile joint. It needs to be mobile for proper body mechanics. When you get an ankle sprain and you don’t heal it properly, it becomes much less mobile. Rehabilitating your ankle with the R.I.C.E. system insures you will have decreased flexibility and increased weakness. As we go up the kinetic chain, the next major joint is the knee. Now, the knee really is an immobile joint. But, if you immobilize the ankle with a brace or if you have lower range of motion in the ankle joint, that mobility has to come from somewhere. The next logical place is the knee. So, it’s not surprising that there are over 100,000 ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) injuries in America every year. And over 70% of those injuries are non-contact, meaning the knee is pushed into a range of motion it can’t handle and tears.

This also applies to the hip and lower back. With decreased range of motion and weakness in the ankle, you will stand, walk, run and move very differently differently. It may not seem like much to the untrained eye, but altered joint motion in the ankle can lead directly to problems further up the kinetic chain than the knee. As postural distortions and muscle imbalances are created, you set yourself up for more serious injury. All of this points to the fact that you need good strong, flexible ankles for proper posture and movement. And that means you need a lot more than R.I.C.E when you sparin an ankle.

There is a new approach for rehabilitating a sprained ankle that addresses all the problems of R.I.C.E. that you can at home in minutes a day at home. It speeds up the recivery process dramaticallys so that you are walking normally again in days instead of weeks.

Click here to learn more…

Scott Malin is a widely respected writer on the subject of nutrition and fitness You can find excellent advice about how to successfully rehabilitate a sprained ankle in just a few days at: http://www.rehabanklesprain.com/