PEACE & LOVE: The Sprain Today and a Month From Now
A relay race where teams sort action cards for an ankle sprain into two phases: the first days (PEACE) and the recovery that follows (LOVE). Students learn this current protocol, compare it with PRICE and POLICE, and see that getting back to loading is part of treatment.
How to play
- Set up the case: a mild ankle sprain during a game. The teacher explains the acronyms: Protect, Elevate, Avoid anti-inflammatories, Compress, Educate; then Load, Optimism, Vascularization (pain-free cardio), Exercise (4 min).
- Relay: each team has a shuffled pile of cards at the far end; one at a time, students run, grab a card and drop it in the "Today" hoop, the "In a Few Days" hoop, or the "Don't" hoop if it's a mistake (for example, a hard massage on day one or playing through pain) (6 min).
- Check: teams compare their hoops with the answer sheet and move any errors; each fix costs a there-and-back penalty run (5 min).
- Final discussion: why ice isn't part of PEACE, why anti-inflammatories are avoided in the first days, and what this adds compared with PRICE and POLICE (5 min).
Rules
- Only one runner per team at a time; tag hands to pass the relay.
- Cards are placed, not thrown.
- Short distances (10–15 m) and no skidding on the turns.
- Write down questions for the discussion instead of arguing mid-relay.
Variations
Easier
Just two hoops, "Yes" and "No", with 10 cards.
Standard
Three hoops and about 18 cards per team.
Harder
Add a fourth phase, "Return to Sport", with criteria (pain-free single-leg hops, cutting) that the team must put in order.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility or injury: be the team judge, check each card and explain the fixes.
- Visually impaired students: large-print cards, or a partner reads them while running alongside.
- Deaf or hard-of-hearing students: back up the opening explanation with a poster of the acronyms and a drawing for each action.
Learning goals
- Learn the PEACE & LOVE protocol for soft-tissue injuries.
- Separate immediate actions from recovery actions.
- Look critically at older protocols like PRICE and POLICE.
Equipment for a class of 25
- action cards: 90
- cones: 5
- hoops: 15
Teacher tip
PEACE & LOVE was published in 2020 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine; it doesn't deny that ice relieves pain, but notes there is no clear evidence it speeds healing. Students tend to think total rest is safest: gradual, pain-free loading is part of recovery.
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