• Progressive mobilisation
• Graduated exercise (stretching, conditioning, total body fitness)
• Training
• Use of heat and cold

Progressive Mobilisation

• The RICER means of management is effective in restoring mobilization and preventing re-injury.
• The injured area isn’t forced to quick movements at once, rather, the process begins with gradual and small movements.
• The progression is continued until the site of injury is stored back to normal.

Graduated Exercise

• Stretching
  • Required for full healing of injured sites without scarring.
  • Effective in reducing muscle tension and increasing circulation.
  • Routines should include static and PNF stretches with rest intervals to avoid stress.
• Conditioning
  • Gradual pain-free movement can be taken once the swelling starts to reduce.
  • Required in order to restore muscle functions to the pre-injured state.
  • A gradual progression towards regular activity can strengthen the muscles surrounding the injured area.
  • Muscle atrophy can also be prevented.
• Total Body Fitness
  • Regaining the state of fitness reached prior injury.
  • Training routines to promote the development of pre-injury fitness state can be introduced, however, ensuring pain free mobility is a must before returning to the regular exercise routines.
  • Gradual endurance building exercises in intervals and progressions can prevent stress injury and re-injury.

Training

• Involvement in physical activities and restoration of total body fitness to pre-injury state:
  • Cardiovascular endurance
  • Muscular endurance
  • Muscular strength
  • Flexibility
• Once the total body fitness is restored, movements should become pain free in terms of warm-up, skills and tactics.
• Athletes can be supervised in the lower divisions until they are confident to return to large impact matches.

Use of Heat and Cold

• Heat
  • Focused on increasing flexibility. blood flow and tissue healing
  • Reduces joint stiffness and muscle spasm
  • Generally used before stretching
  • Should not be used first 2-5 days post-injury
• Cold
  • Used in first 2-3 days in RICER management, immediately after an injury
  • Reduces swelling, muscle spasm, pain and inflammation
  • Ice and ice packs are the simplest forms of cryotherapy
  • Often used on injured areas after rehab exercises are performed