For decades the standard advice for an acute soft-tissue injury was RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. RICE is still useful in the first 24–48 hours, but the field has evolved. Two newer protocols — PEACE and LOVE, introduced by Dubois and Esculier in 2019 — describe a more nuanced approach for the days and weeks after the initial event.
PEACE (the first day or two):
- Protect the injured area; avoid activities that aggravate pain.
- Elevate the limb above the heart when possible.
- Avoid anti-inflammatory medications and ice in some cases — there is now evidence that aggressive inflammation suppression early on may slow tissue healing in some injuries.
- Compress the area to reduce swelling.
- Educate yourself about the injury and avoid unnecessary passive treatments.
LOVE (after the first couple of days):
- Load: progressively reintroduce normal activity. Tissue heals best with the right amount of stress.
- Optimism: psychological factors meaningfully affect recovery time.
- Vascularization: cardio that doesn't aggravate the injury (e.g., swimming for a knee, cycling for an upper-body injury) helps healing.
- Exercise: structured, progressive movement is the most evidence-supported intervention for return to play.
The big practical change from RICE to PEACE & LOVE is the de-emphasis on prolonged rest and aggressive icing. Modern sports medicine views early gentle motion and progressive loading as the path back, not extended immobilization.
All that said: this is general information, not a treatment plan for your specific situation. If something hurts more than you expect or is not improving on a sensible timeline, see someone.