- MEDIUM
- Clinical
- Tier 1
- Hard News
Wellness Corner: Is the RICE method cooked? When icing pain isn’t the same as healing injury
- Source
- DentistryIQ
- Author
- Katrina Klein, RDH, CEAS, CPT
- Originally at
- dentistryiq.com(opens in a new tab)
Summary and scoring by The Bell Brief (Dr. Jennifer Bell) using the Drill-Down Protocol. Not the original publisher.
Why it matters for dental
Dental clinicians who finish each workday with neck, shoulder, or back pain need to distinguish acute injury care from persistent pain management, because continued reliance on ice may relieve symptoms without restoring function.
Key points
- 01
Dr. Gabe Mirkin introduced RICE in 1978 and publicly reconsidered prolonged rest and routine icing in 2014 after evidence indicated they might interfere with healing.
- 02
POLICE replaced prolonged rest with Protection and Optimal Loading in 2012; PEACE & LOVE added Avoidance of anti-inflammatory modalities, Education, Load, Optimism, Vascularization, and Exercise by 2019.
- 03
A 2023 animal study found icing after muscle injury reduced inflammatory macrophages and regenerating muscle fibers; a separate study showed cooling delayed removal of damaged tissue and disrupted cellular activity.
- 04
The 2025 Journal of Physiology study found cold-water immersion did not improve muscle regeneration, while hot-water immersion showed favorable effects on markers of muscle repair.
Who should care
- Associate
- Staff
Read the original
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