Using the RICE Method for Heel Pain – Will it make a difference?

Using the RICE method for heel pain focuses on initial self-care following the onset of plantar fasciitis pain. Across the internet, many websites recommend RICE as an initial step in foot restoration. The method’s acronym stands for the four concepts of Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.

These four concepts may be particularly important during the early phase of recovery from the problem or injury that caused your plantar fasciitis pain to flare up. Implementing these four concepts on a daily basis should reduce the stress on your plantar fascia, at least to some degree, allowing your fascia to heal quicker.

Understanding the Four Concepts

Let me break down these four concepts. Simply put:

• Rest (R) – This does not mean you have to lie down or even sit all the time. It refers to reducing your previous activity level. In other words, whatever level of activity you were at when your plantar fasciitis flared up, cut back some. For example, walk a little more and run a little less or sit a little more and stand a little less. The degree to which you change your activity will be somewhat dependent on the severity of the pain.
• Ice (I) – Use ice to reduce the inflammation and/or swelling in your feet. Ice packs work great for this. Be sure to wrap the ice or ice pack in a towel or protective sleeve to prevent the ice from burning your feet. Alternatively, you could freeze a plastic bottle full of water and roll your foot over the frozen bottle or you could freeze water in a small paper cup, remove the ice from the cup and rub the ice over the sore area for 5-10 minutes.
• Compression (C) – During the initial phases of recovery it is a good idea to add support to your foot. The added pressure can be applied with a wrap, such as a simple Ace bandage, or special socks/hose, such as TED hose. Shoes with appropriately strong support are a must at this stage of recovery.
• Elevation (E) – Elevating your foot, when possible, can also be helpful, just as it is whenever you have any type of foot or leg injury. Elevation helps reduce and eliminate swelling. One good way to do this is to lie on your back and elevate your foot onto a chair for 5-10 minutes.

Note that the length of time to execute each step as well as the number of times to perform the RICE process each day is not set in stone. Some sites recommend 10 minutes or 15 minutes of icing and elevation, others a bit less. Likewise, some discuss 2-3 repetitions of RICE each day while others suggest up to 8 repetitions.

You need to decide what you can do. The key is to do something!

Reducing Your Activity Levels

In addition to utilizing these concepts, reducing your weight-bearing foot activity on a daily basis is also critically important. In other words, change the amount of time you spend on your feet, if at all possible. Counter this potential reduction in exercise by adding some low-impact activities. Cycling and swimming are two good options that do not aggravate the plantar fascia tissue.

Note that activities like running and jumping are significantly aided by a healthy plantar fascia tissue. The fascia helps your leg, ankle, and foot muscles to function well and to work efficiently. So, if you are a runner, reduce the amount of running you do each day immediately.

Additional Therapy

While conventional thought on the healing of plantar fasciitis continues to recommend the RICE concept, there are additional home-therapy ideas that can and should be considered in conjunction with RICE. Exercises, massage, and medication are three of these helpful ideas. Consider these early on in your rehabilitation process.

Will RICE Help You?

There is some dispute as to whether or not the RICE method can be effective in reducing heel pain. The dispute is based on relatively new studies indicating that plantar fasciitis has little to do with inflammation.

Rather than inflammation, these studies indicate that plantar fasciitis is a degenerative disorder. In other words, the plantar fascia is degenerating, causing micro-tears in the collagen fibers of the fascia. If this is true, taking steps aimed at reducing inflammation would prove to be pointless.

One of the best explanations, which incorporates both initial inflammation and then collagen restoration, can be found in the article entitled, What is the difference between plantar fasciitis and plantar fasciosis?. Based on the idea that there is an initial phase, immediately following injury, when inflammation does occur, it appears that RICE will probably still be an effective initial method of self-care.

Your Thoughts

Have any of you utilized this process to help reduce plantar fasciitis pain? I would like to hear from you. Did you find the process effective? Was one step more important than the others in reducing your pain? Please respond using the comment box below.