How to Treat a Sprained Ankle – Dangers of R.I.C.E.
It is impossible to predict when accidents and physical injuries will happen. However, you have a certain degree of control and if you have an injury, you can always administer first aid or basic treatments. First aid treatment cannot heal the ailment completely but it can at least alleviate the pain and swelling.
If you’re asking the question what is R.I.C.E.? Here’s a simple answer. Basically, R.I.C.E. stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. It is a first aid treatment for people suffering from sprains, strains, muscle pull, or tears. This immediate measure does a good job in relieving the pain, assuaging swelling, and protecting injured soft tissue for the next 2 days. How about the internal damage to your muscles and tissues the following days? The bad news is that using R.I.C.E. will not get rid of the scarred tissue, nor strengthen the ligaments, stabilize the muscles, heal neuromuscular damages, or improve the physical mobility of the injured person.
For that reason, H.E.M. ankle rehab program is what you should rely on in times of injuries. As a trusted partner and recognized fitness expert, Scott Malin has a proven track record of working with professional athletes at the highest level, including one of the most important aspects to this field; diminishing the inevitable risks of physical injuries. The H.E.M. ankle rehab program does not recommend the R.I.C.E. rehabilitation method for serious conditions due to its medically-proven dangers to the injured.
The Dangers of R.I.C.E.
It takes long to heal and recover.
First of all, ice is only effective for the first 36-48 hours. After that, you will notice the ankle is still very swollen, bruised, and stiff. For that reason, you can expect to heal in about 1-2 months and studies show that up to 30% of people with sprained ankle injuries feel persisting pain, immobility, and instability even after a year.
It does not guarantee range of mobility.
When you sprain an ankle, the entire injured area swells up and this decreases the person’s range of motion in the affected part. The injured ankle can still be stiff because internally there are adhesions to the muscle or knot, which limits the range of motion of the ankle joints.
It does not repair the nerves.
A sprained ankle can suffer damage to the neuromuscular system and the communication bridge between the nervous and muscular system get disrupted and never completely recovers unless it gets proper rehabilitation.
It does not strengthen the ankle.
Most people go back to their normal activities once their sprained ankle stops swelling. But, you haven’t done anything to rebuild the muscle tissue which means your ability to move and jump will dramatically decrease. The danger comes when the adhesions and scar tissues worsen your condition.
It increases the risk of worse ankle injury in the future, as well as more severe knee, hip, and back injuries.

As R.I.C.E. doesn’t rehabilitate the muscles and joint, your ankle tends to be weaker, and thus, it becomes more susceptible to another injury. The tendency to experience more serious injuries such as knee, hip, and back damage increase as well. You don’t want to undergo surgery simply because you settled for using the R.I.C.E. system alone.
You might wonder how to treat a sprained ankle subsequent to administering first aid to injuries. As opposed to the slow typical healing timeline you expect from the rest, ice, compression, elevation method, the H.E.M. Ankle Rehab program offers a simple ankle treatment program that results to a full recovery from ankle injuries, minimized discomfort, and lets you get back to the active lifestyle you are used to. H.E.M. Ankle Rehab can be your partner towards complete recovery.