We’re kicking off the first season with a look at one of the fundamentals of basic first aid…soft tissue injuries. We breakdown the pathophysiology of sprains and strains at the tissue level, take a quick trip back to the 70’s to find the origins of the long-standing RICER treatment guidelines, and venture into the emerging evidence that’s shaping contemporary practice.

In 1978, the Harvard-trained physician Dr Gabe Mirkin, co-published the “Sportsmedicine Book”, introducing the world to RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation). In 2015 Dr Mirkin amended his position on soft tissue injuries after emerging evidence suggested that suppressing inflammation (primarily through the routine use of ice), may be leading to slow and impaired healing.