What is Acute Care 1

What is Acute Care?

Acute care refers to the short-term treatment of an illness or injury. It is significantly

different from the care given to the people who have long-term illness and chronic injuries.

Acute injuries are those that have “occurred recently, usually defined as having occurred in the

previous 48-72 hours” (Treatment of Acute Injuries, para. 1). Examples of acute injuries include

tendon strains, ligament sprains, muscle strains, muscle contusions, and bone fractures. Most

acute injuries heal better when treated early.

According to Dr. Hall, “any acute injury should be treated with ‘RICE’ principles”

(Treatment of Acute Injuries, para. 4). RICE stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation.

Rest may range from doing non-painful activates to using crutches depending on the severity of

the injury. Ice helps to decrease inflammation and swelling, and should be applied for 15 minutes

every hour, with a towel between the skin and ice to prevent frostbite. Compression can decrease

swelling and can usually be done with a tensor bandage. Elevation helps to control swelling of

the injury.
What is Acute Care 2

Citation Page

Prentice, W. E. (2011). Principles of Athletic Training A Competency-Based Approach

(14th ed). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Hall, T. L., Dr. (n.d.). Treatment of Acute Injuries. Retrieved from https://www.grsm.ca/wp-

content/uploads/02-Acute-Injuries.pdf