Acute Injuries: PEACE & LOVE
In our latest posts, we discussed the common tendinopathies of the lower body, focusing on the Achilles, Patellar and Gluteus Medius tendons. Before we jump to look at some common tendinopathies in the upper body, I thought it would be a good idea to revisit an old post regarding the acronym PEACE and LOVE within the context of acute injuries.
As we have discussed in recent posts, we know that the acute stage of tendinopathies is called tendonitis. You may have heard of R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression, elevation) for dealing with acute injuries in the past. This has now been updated to be more comprehensive. When treating tendonitis, we tend to follow the PEACE and LOVE protocol to aid in the recovery of the tendon.
What is PEACE & LOVE?
Protect
Elevate
Avoid anti-inflammatory modalities
Compress
Educate
&
Load
Optimism
Vascularization
Exercise
This new protocol allows for a more thorough approach in treating acute injuries. There are a few unique things about this protocol, with the biggest being to avoid anti-inflammatories (ie: ice). I think for as long as I’ve been alive I was always told to ice my injuries to minimize the swelling, however new literature has shown this might not be as beneficial as we thought. My colleague Tim Schmidt wrote a short post on this topic in the past and said it well:
“Inflammation is part of our body’s natural healing process, but it has often been thought that perhaps our bodies ‘overdo it’ when it comes to inflammation after an injury. In the past, we have surmised that ice can help to slow the body’s processes of inflammation and decrease swelling following an injury. However, recent evidence is more mixed on the use of ice following soft tissue injuries. For injuries where the swelling isn’t significantly preventing movement or restricting function, I would lean towards avoiding ice.”
In summary, evidence isn’t suggesting that anti-inflammatories are bad, but they shouldn’t necessarily be the first thing we reach for after an injury. I would agree with my colleague that if swelling is not significantly impairing your range of motion, or function of a joint, I would opt out of icing.
Conclusion:
I hope this was a nice break from tendinopathy discussions to highlight the unique PEACE & LOVE protocol. If you have an acute injury whether it be a sprain, strain or tendinitis, consult with one of the physiotherapists at Kamloops Physiotherapy & Sports Injury Centre. We can correctly identify the root cause of your problem and help you begin your journey to recovery.
This blog post was written by physiotherapist Jacob Coelho. To book an appointment with Jacob or one of our other experienced therapists, call 250-314-0788 or book online HERE.