In PRICE, which step directly helps control swelling by applying cold to the injury?

• A. Protection
• B. Elevation
• C. Rest
• D. Ice

Answer: (D)

Applying ice directly targets swelling. When cold is applied to the injured area, the blood vessels constrict (vasoconstriction), which reduces blood flow to the area and limits the leakage of fluid from vessels. This slows the inflammatory processes that drive swelling and helps control the edema early after injury. Practically, ice is used in short intervals with a barrier to protect the skin, and it’s a primary, direct method for reducing swelling in the PRICE sequence. Protection, Rest, and Elevation support recovery in other ways—preventing further injury, limiting activity, and using gravity to drain fluid—but they do not deliver the direct cold therapy that ice provides.