PEACE & LOVE for Acute Injuries
When you have an acute injury, like an ankle sprain or hamstring strain, what is the recommended treatment? Many people are familiar with ‘RICE’, rest, ice, compression and elevation. This protocol was developed in 1978 by Dr. Gabe Mirkin. However, in 2015 Dr. Mirkin changed his recommendation, as ice application can delay and impede the healing process.
Research now tells us to treat soft-tissue injuries with ‘PEACE & LOVE’, an acronym coined by physiotherapists Blaise Dubois and Jean-Francois Esculier in 2019. This new protocol has two phases; PEACE is the focus of care for immediate injuries, while LOVE is used for subsequent injury management.
So what does ‘PEACE & LOVE’ stand for? PEACE stands for:
Protection- Avoid activities and movements that increase pain during the first few days after injury.
Elevation- Elevate the injured limb above the level of the heart as often as possible to reduce swelling.
Avoid Anti-inflammatories- Avoid taking anti-inflammatory medications as they reduce tissue healing. Avoid icing.
Compression- Use elastic bandage or taping to reduce swelling.
Education- Avoid unnecessary passive treatments and over-medicalization and let nature play it’s role.
After the first few days, the protocol shifts to LOVE:
Load- Let pain be an informational guide to your gradual return to normal activities. Resume normal activities as soon as symptoms allow.
Optimism- Condition your brain for optimal recovery by being confident and positive. Beliefs and expectations affect recovery. Better outcomes are associated with optimism.
Vascularization- Choose cardiovascular activities that promote blood flow to repairing tissues.
Exercise- Restore mobility, strength, and proprioception early by adopting an active approach to recovery.
Thank you for being a part of our Refuge community! I hope this update proves to be helpful to you for managing minor injuries. For more serious injuries, do not hesitate to schedule an appointment or reach out to your Refuge Physiotherapy team. Remember to give PEACE a chance because all that soft-tissue injuries need is LOVE.
