![]() ![]() Once I read that I chose to not take any more medications. “In the absence of robust clinical or scientific evidence, clinicians should treat NSAIDs as a risk factor for bone healing impairment, and their administration should be avoided in high-risk patients. This study agrees that there may be risk to taking NSAIDS with a bone injury: I read that Ibuprofin and NSAIDS can prevent bone healing so I avoided all pain medication and NSAIDS from the day after I left the hospital. This is where the MEAT acronym lost me as I did not go this route. I think it is logical: if strength training is good for bone health it must also be good for bone healing. I felt so much better physically and mentally doing something active every day. The second week I did 90-120 minutes of strength training and 30-45 minutes hand cycling every second day (at first the hand cycling made my back and arms very tired). For the first week I did about 60 minutes per day of strength training. In addition to rest, I used MOVEMENT and EXERCISE the second day after surgery. An added benefit is the amazing hamstring stretch I get out of the pose. It allows me a nice restful position to visualize getting back in action and is perfect for allowing any blood stuck in my feet to flow back towards my heart. My version of elevation is the yoga legs up the wall pose. It has been suggested that compression socks will be helpful to support my ankle function when I return to running. I use them when I move my ankle to control swelling as well. I also have some super cute compression socks from Asics that help keep swelling out of my ankle when I lift weights or move around. I believe using these therapies together has helped me to improve my ankle range faster. ![]() Applying ice and compression at the same time moves blood and fluid stuck at the joint out and allows new blood to come in. I invested in a motorized ice-cuff for my ankle which you can see at work in this video pumping ice water into a compression cuff around my foot. In this way, I feel like I am giving the joint the best chance to move through the greatest range of motion. I alternate 20 minutes of mobility exercises with 20 minutes of ice. Although the ice may slow down the healing while it is applied, in my opinion the ability to create new movement patterns outweighs the short period of delayed repair. Having the ability to move the joint further, I bring new blood back into the area. Since I have an injury that is causing swelling in a joint, I need to reduce the swelling in order to allow the joint to move properly. However, my objective is to regain joint mobility. The argument is that reducing swelling with ice prevents healing by decreasing the inflammation response. There is some evidence that ice may delay recovery. Even if I can’t nap, using some visualization to facilitate resting seems beneficial to my recovery. I try to include at least an hour a day of non-device rest time, or a nap, to shut down and let my nervous system charge up. Each week I added more activity to my day but balanced that movement with a lot of rest. ![]() In the more acute stages of my fracture I respected the healing process and did less. Just as rest is critical to repair from training, rest is necessary to heal an injury. My daily dose of RICE and MEAT therapy to speed up healing my fractured ankle and get back to triathlon training REST So I created my own RICE and MEAT therapy that took from each approach the elements I felt were most beneficial, and eliminated those I did not want. The therapists I work with, including the surgeon who fixed my ankle, suggest that therapy should include all of the above. What is the best approach if you have a combination of issues to resolve? This all gets confusing when you deal with a trimalleolar fracture that compromises both bones and ligaments. The MEAT (MOVEMENT, EXERCISE, ANALGESICS and THERAPY) approach is considered particularly beneficial for ligament and tendon injuries. Icing can reduce inflammation, and rest can promote joint rigidity, so movement without ice is suggested. More recent medical opinions suggest that both rest and ice can delay healing rather than promote it. RICE is an acronym for REST, ICE, COMPRESSION and ELEVATION and MEAT is an acronym for MOVEMENT, EXERCISE, ANALGESICS and THERAPY This mnemonic dates back to the 1970s when a doctor came up with this prescription for healing that became the standard protocol to treat acute injuries. RICE is an acronym for REST, ICE, COMPRESSION and ELEVATION. Promoting Broken Ankle Healing Using the RICE and MEAT Therapy Protocols ![]()
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