Taking Back Control of Your Health:

Rest is Not Likely to be THE Answer

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God." (Exodus 20:8)

From Exodus, we understand the importance for resting our mind, an intentional pause to reflect and to learn. Rest for our bodies can also be learned from this verse.

Yet Proverb 25 teaches us 'too much of a good thing is a bad thing' And now Physical therapists, including Dr James Connelly, Dr Kim Richards, and CNN Wellness Expert Max Nazaire know this to be true about rest.

Consider someone with back pain in the past couple of months. Or maybe knee or other joint pain. While you’re not bedridden, it is disrupting your evening’s plans, distracting your thoughts, and preventing you from enjoying your day….and from doing things with your friends and family.

Injuries and over-use are common place. Some say ‘give it a rest.’ Maybe you’ve even said that as a parent or caregiver. But too much of a good thing is....now understood to be a bad thing.

Many providers advised the R.I.C.E. protocol (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation). Recently, that has been replaced with M.E.A.T.

Huh?

The RICE method has been the go-to treatment for injuries for decades. However, recent research reported by Western Regional Health suggests that this method may not be as effective as previously thought and may even delay the healing process.

R.I.C.E is used to decrease blood flow and reduce swelling, reports Colorado Center for Podiatric Sports Medicine.  M.E.A.T. increases the blood flow to injured areas to enhance the healing. Injuries to structures that have limited blood supply like ligaments, tendons, and cartilage are hindered by the R.I.C.E. principle by reducing the blood flow thus prolonging the healing process.

Michigan Massage and Wellness wrote “Generally speaking, RICE may be best reserved for acute muscle injuries (within the first few hours), and MEAT may be best for acute ligament and cartilage injuries AND aid long-term recovery.

Since there are numerous articles when you search for “Injury care RICE vs MEAT,” the value to you here is you now have better questions to ask your doctor about what’s right for you….and getting you feeling better sooner, and at less cost in money and time.

• Clinical explanation and evolution since 1978 introduction of RICE from The Sports Journal
• The Canadian version is MOVE instead of MEAT

Cost: While being a fan of education and knowledge which can often be free online, speaking to your primary care doctor, physical therapist, chiropractor, and some fitness trainers is worth the time and money. 

And Vori Health is a virtual care option that is covered by several insurance carriers and worth consideration.

Takeaway: Determine what’s most applicable to you. The more you know, the more you can control your care, your recovery, and your costs.

Caution: I'm not a doctor or medical provider. Please talk with your primary care provider, or telehealth provider, for what's right for you.

While we have much to share, what do you want to know so that we can prioritize that content? It could be about you personally, or about your family or employees. Is it advice from doctors or dealing with the insurance carriers?

You're invited to send a message to [email protected], call me at 770.335.0077 or schedule a conversation because just as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.....and our community sharpens our community. In other words, we need each other to be their healthiest.