Broken legs and ankles heal better if you walk on them within weeks

(www.scientificamerican.com)

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faitswulff ◴[19 Feb 25 14:20 UTC] No.43102422[source]▶

If anyone's heard of RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) for healing joints, the new guidance is called POLICE: Protect, Optimal Load, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. The key differences being Protect and Optimal Load, meaning don't re-injure it and expose it to some level of weight-bearing or usage.

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dfxm12 ◴[19 Feb 25 14:31 UTC] No.43102512[source]▶

>>43102422 #

Anyone can RICE their joints. It's foolproof, more or less objective and requires no monitoring from a professional.

What defines optimal load? It sounds impossible to gauge, unless maybe if you're working with a physical therapist. Then, what happens if load more than the optimal level? Is the outcome worse than if you just stuck to RICE? I think these are things that have to be considered for medical protocols.

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miketery ◴[19 Feb 25 14:46 UTC] No.43102665[source]▶

>>43102512 #

Optimal load is right before it starts hurting. You progressively load, and when it starts hurting you unload. Your body will send pain before there is damage to be done.

Edit: in fact some discomfort or right kind of pain is good. Else you give to atrophy.

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1. shermantanktop ◴[19 Feb 25 15:42 UTC] No.43103279{3}[source]▶

>>43102665 #

That’s not how pain works. Pain is a noisy and error-prone signal that gives you a good approximation for “stop doing that.” But the edge of pain sensation doesn’t indicate what is or isn’t a good idea during recovery. It’s not a bad place to start, but everyone has different pain tolerances, some injuries are in nerve-poor areas, and repetitive stress or tendinitis are definitely not going to appreciate getting lit up right away.

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2. jacksnipe ◴[19 Feb 25 18:23 UTC] No.43105462[source]▶

>>43103279 (TP) #

I’m in PT and dealing with orthos right now, and according to them, that IS how pain works for the vast majority of ortho injuries

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3. potamic ◴[20 Feb 25 05:07 UTC] No.43111331[source]▶

>>43105462 #

Sorry, which comment are you affirming?

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4. jacksnipe ◴[20 Feb 25 18:17 UTC] No.43118157{3}[source]▶

>>43111331 #

Go until just before it hurts, which is a moving target that you will have to calibrate carefully