You have been active on your feet and now your feet are hurting – what is the best way to help reduce your pain or inflammation? The Podiatry Center treats common foot conditions like bunions, heel pain, and Achilles tendonitis, but sometimes at-home treatment is needed for immediate relief. Keep reading about the RICE treatment method from our foot experts!
What Does RICE Stand For?
According to our experienced foot specialist, an effective way to immediately treat any swelling or injury is to employ RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.
Promote Healing with RICE
Rest – Protect the sore area from additional stress by stopping or at least curtailing the level of your activity. Your healing will be faster if you don't continue to use the affected area. If you want to remain active, you might want to consider changing to a different type of exercise, such as swimming, advises our foot care doctor at Foot & Ankle Associates.
Ice – Patients often wonder if it is better to use ice or heat to treat a painful foot condition. The RICE treatment method focuses on cold or ice to initially treat pain or swelling. While you should avoid applying the ice directly to your skin, we recommend using a cold pack for about 15 minutes, 3 or more times a day for the first 72 hours.
Compression – Wrapping the sore area with the firm pressure of a soft elastic material, such as a cushioned bandage, will help more quickly decrease the swelling and irritation. However, it is important not to wrap your foot or ankle too tightly, cautions our foot specialist, which can result in numbness, tingling, and increased pain.
Elevation – Keeping the area elevated above the level of your heart will help diminish your swelling because it serves to reduce the amount of blood flow to the affected area. When you are lying in bed or on the couch, using a few pillows to cushion and elevate your leg will advance the healing of inflamed bunions or other persistent foot injuries.
Do You Need Bunion Treatment? The Podiatry Center Can Help!
The Podiatry Center offers gentle, but expert treatment to ease suffering from common conditions like bunions and heel pain to any medical or surgical foot and ankle conditions. Give our Springfield or Bethesda office a call to make a same-day appointment with our experienced podiatry team.
The information provided in this article is not meant to be medical advice and is for educational purposes only. If you would like to learn more about this and other topics related to podiatry, feel free to contact The Podiatry Center, with convenient podiatry offices located in Bethesda, MD, and Springfield, VA, by calling 301.660.8225 or by clicking here.
