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Sprains, strains and RICE
Badge 6 of 7 · First Aid
Lesson 4 of 5 · Step 37 of 43 in the course
Watch, then decide. The next step only opens when you have it right.
Step 1 of 3
Step 1 of 3
R and I — Rest, and stop it moving
- For a twisted ankle, a hurt wrist, anything swollen: RICE.
- R — Rest. Stop using it.
- I — Immobilize. Stop it moving. A triangular bandage as a sling, tape to strap two fingers together, a splint if there is one.
- And if there is not: cardboard, a rolled magazine or a towel will do the same job.
Watch, then answer this
There is no splint in the house. What do you use?
Step 2 of 3
C — Cold, and never straight onto skin
- An instant cold pack, or something cold wrapped in a cloth.
- Never ice straight onto skin.
- Twenty minutes at a time is plenty.
Watch, then answer this
Why wrap it?
Step 3 of 3
E — Elevate
- E — Elevate. Raise it, above the heart if you can.
- Cushions, a pillow, the arm of the sofa.
- It brings the swelling down while you wait for a grown-up.
Watch, then answer this
How high does it need to go?
That is this lesson.
You watched it, you made the call yourself, and you got it right. That is the whole lesson — nothing here was read to pass.
Now do it
Off the screen, before you leave this page
Watching is not the same as being able to do it. Stand up and work through these. Nothing here is marked and nothing is sent anywhere — the ticks are yours.
Put RICE back in order.
That is the order. Say it once more out loud and it is yours.
Accessibility
Read what happens in each clip instead
Step 1 — Rest, Immobilize. A child sits down and stops using a sore wrist. Then a triangular bandage tied as a simple sling, and two fingers taped together. Then a rolled magazine used as a splint. Clear demonstrations of each, hands and objects filling frame.
Step 2 — Wrapped in a cloth. An instant cold pack squeezed and shaken, then wrapped in a dish towel before it goes on a wrist. A bag of frozen peas gets the same treatment. The wrapping step is held on deliberately.
Step 3 — Above the heart. A sore ankle propped up on cushions on a sofa, clearly higher than the child’s chest. Then a hurt wrist rested up on a stack of pillows. Simple, restful, undramatic.
Every film on this page is narrated and carries a caption track, supplied as a sidecar and never burned into the picture.