The R.I.C.E. principle is one of the first things you learn in the athletic training room. Limit your down time with these principles and aggressively treat your injury, and get back in the game sooner. I recently rolled an ankle and got to put this into practice once again. Within an hour, I was able to get the ankle iced, wrapped, and elevated. I was able to reduce my down time, embarrassment, and pain.
The severity of injury and your commitment to following these principles w/ heavy emphasis on rest and ice will determine the success of the healing process. Treatment is the first step and rehab is next. This treatment strategy will be the first step in the healing process, followed by rehab that will get you back to full speed sooner.
Rest- sleep and staying off injured bodypart
Ice- Reduces swelling and pain by constricting blood vessels and helps the healing begin by pushing damaged blood out of the injured area.
Compression- bandage or compression sleeve helps reduce swelling.
Elevation- when possible keep the injured body part above the heart to reduce swelling and pain.