PEACE & LOVE: A Practical Guide to Soft-Tissue Injury Recovery

A rolled ankle on the K&P Trail, a muscle strain at the gym, or a sore tendon after a game can leave you wondering what to do next. Many people learned RICE: rest, ice, compression, and elevation. You may also have heard PRICE or POLICE.

Those acronyms were meant to make early injury care easier to remember. In 2020, physiotherapists Blaise Dubois and Jean-François Esculier proposed a broader framework called PEACE & LOVE. PEACE covers the first stage after an injury, while LOVE shifts attention toward a gradual return to movement and activity.

PEACE & LOVE is a memory aid, not a diagnosis or a step-by-step treatment plan. A minor strain and a more serious injury can feel similar at first, and the right approach depends on the tissue involved, the severity of the injury, your health, and what you need to get back to.

What counts as a soft-tissue injury?

Soft tissue includes muscles, tendons, and ligaments. A strain affects a muscle or tendon, while a sprain affects a ligament. Pain, swelling, bruising, stiffness, and difficulty using the injured area can occur with either one.

Symptoms alone do not always reveal exactly what has been injured. If you cannot use the area normally, symptoms are severe or worsening, or you are unsure what happened, an assessment can help determine the next step.

PEACE: the early stage

Protect

For a short period, reduce or avoid movements that clearly aggravate the injury. Protection does not necessarily mean complete rest. It means giving the area enough support while avoiding another painful twist, impact, or heavy effort. How much protection is appropriate varies with the injury.

Elevate

Raising an injured arm or leg may be comfortable and may help manage swelling. It is an option rather than a requirement, and it should not delay an assessment when the injury may be more serious.

Avoid unnecessary anti-inflammatory measures

The original PEACE & LOVE editorial questioned the routine use of approaches aimed only at suppressing inflammation. That does not mean everyone should avoid ice or anti-inflammatory medication. Research and clinical guidance do not give one universal answer for every injury, and medication safety depends on the person. Ask a pharmacist or clinician before starting, stopping, or changing medication.

Compress

A wrap, sleeve, or tape may help some people manage swelling and feel supported. Compression should be comfortable, not tight enough to cause numbness, tingling, colour change, or increased pain. A clinician can advise whether it makes sense for your injury.

Educate

Recovery is rarely a choice between doing nothing and pushing through. Understanding the injury, what to expect, and how activity can be adjusted makes it easier to take an active role without rushing.

LOVE: the next stage

Load

As symptoms settle, daily movement and activity can often be reintroduced gradually. The goal is to expose the recovering area to an amount of work it can tolerate, then build from there. There is no single pain score that tells everyone when a load is safe. The type of injury and the way symptoms respond during and after activity both matter.

Optimism

Pain can make movement feel uncertain. A realistic, confident outlook may support recovery, but optimism does not mean ignoring symptoms or blaming yourself when progress is uneven. Clear information and achievable steps can help rebuild confidence.

Vascularization

Comfortable aerobic activity can help maintain general fitness and keep you connected to your usual routine. Depending on the injury, that might mean modifying the activity or choosing another option. The best choice is one that does not put the injured area at unnecessary risk.

Exercise

Exercise can help restore movement, strength, balance, and capacity. The starting point and progression should match the injury and the person’s goals. An ankle sprain, for example, may eventually require mobility, strength, balance, and sport-specific work, but the order and difficulty will differ from person to person. Why complete rest is not always the answer

Some protection early on can be useful. Staying inactive for longer than necessary, however, may contribute to stiffness, reduced strength, and less confidence using the area. Current guidance for common injuries such as lateral ankle sprains supports a progressive return to weight-bearing and exercise, with the amount of support and loading adjusted to the injury.

That does not mean returning to sport right away or forcing movement through significant symptoms. It means moving from protection to appropriate activity as the injury allows. Progress is not always perfectly linear, so increasing swelling, declining function, or symptoms that remain aggravated after activity are reasons to reassess the plan.

When should you get help?

Seek prompt medical care if the injured area looks deformed, becomes numb or unusually cold, changes colour, or cannot bear weight or be used after a significant injury. A crack at the time of injury, severe pain, or rapidly increasing swelling also deserves prompt attention.

For less urgent concerns, consider a physiotherapy assessment if pain or swelling is worsening, movement remains limited, the injury keeps recurring, or you are unsure how to return to work, exercise, or sport. A physiotherapist can assess the injury and help build a plan around your current abilities and goals.

If a soft-tissue injury is keeping you from the activities you enjoy in Kingston, book an appointment with K-TOWN Physiotherapy at one of our three Kingston locations.

Written by: Elizabeth Bignell, PT Student at Queen’s University

K-TOWN Physiotherapy – Canadian Made Care That Keeps You Moving.