When you sprain an ankle, strain a muscle, or suffer a complete tendon or ligament rupture, your first instinct might be to grab an ice pack and pop an ibuprofen. But did you know that these treatments are no longer recommended for addressing an acute soft tissue injury?
When it comes to treating soft tissue injuries, there is a lot of conflicting information out there, and figuring out what’s best for your particular injury and medical history can be challenging. Despite its groovy name that sounds like it’s straight out of a 1970s episode of The Brady Bunch, the PEACE and LOVE protocol is a modern, science-backed approach to treating soft tissue injuries and promoting recovery.
That’s PEACE for addressing the acute injury phase (immediately after an injury):
P - Protect
E - Elevate
A - Avoid anti-inflammatories
C - Compress
E - Educate
And LOVE for addressing the subacute or rehabilitation phase (long-term recovery from the injury):
L - Load
O - Optimism
V - Vascularization
E - Exercise
Read on to learn more about the PEACE and LOVE protocol and how they can help you address soft tissue injuries in their immediate aftermath and during your long-term recovery to help you achieve optimal results.
PEACE for Acute Injuries
Immediately after suffering a soft tissue injury, you should follow the PEACE protocol to prevent further injury or aggravation while promoting the body’s immediate healing response.
This involves protecting the injured area by restricting movement, reducing load, and elevating the area to reduce bleeding, promote the flow of interstitial fluids, prevent injured tissues from being distended, and reduce the risk of worsening the injury.
Additionally, avoid the use of anti-inflammatory medications (such as ibuprofen) and modalities (such as ice). These treatments and therapies reduce circulation and can have adverse effects on the healing process.
Gentle compression achieved with bandages or physiotape can help to support healing and control fluid retention while allowing a full range of motion.
In addition to these active protocols, physical therapists practicing the PEACE protocol also emphasize patient education to help ensure patients understand the nature of their injury, their care instructions, and how these treatments and modalities can provide relief, prevent complications, and promote healing.
LOVE for Long-Term Recovery
After an injury has had a chance to heal for a few days, patients can begin the LOVE protocol, which is designed to foster long-term recovery, restore mobility, and reduce the risk of reinjury.
Movement and cardiovascular activities will help to promote circulation, tissue repair, and healing. So, the protocol calls for gradual loading of injuries, meaning that increasing weight and stress can be placed on the injury incrementally, as the patient’s symptoms allow for it. Additionally, exercises should be well-rounded (including aerobic exercises, strength training, and flexibility) to promote well-rounded healing while restoring mobility, improving strength, restoring proprioception (spatial body awareness), and improving balance to help prevent reinjury in the future.
LOVE also places a strong emphasis on maintaining optimism throughout this period because the brain-body connection is not something to take lightly. The brain, a patient’s mindset, and their expectations can affect how intensely the patient experiences pain, impact their healing process, and hinder their injury outcomes. The brain can impose mental barriers to recovery, such as depression, fear, and catastrophising. A long-term recovery can be just that, long-term. So, it is important to keep the end goal within your sight while celebrating the gradual achievements you make throughout your recovery journey.
PEACE, LOVE, and FYZICAL Therapy Northbrook!
PEACE and LOVE represent a modern, science-backed, effective approach to injury management. Our experienced physical therapists can help you implement a personalized recovery program to accelerate healing, improve physical balance, and prevent future injuries.
To learn more about treating acute injuries and long-term recovery or to request an injury management consultation, we invite you to contact FYZICAL Therapy Northbrook today.