Sports and Fitness Illness and Injury Orthopaedics. Reviewed By Micah J. Ryan, M. Doing both while in recovery and upcoming participation may help avoid injury in the future. Icing an injury typically takes place immediately after the injury occurs. Using a cold compress or ice pack on a strained muscle can decrease inflammation and numb pain in the area.
Icing is effective at reducing pain and swelling because the cold constricts blood vessels and decreases circulation to the area. For example, if an athlete rolls an ankle in a volleyball match an immediate application of ice will cut down on long-term swelling and potentially lessen recovery time.
Ice injuries for 20 minutes at a time, with 20 minute breaks in between sessions. There is no long-term timeline for icing. Optimal loading: key variables and mechanisms. American Academy of Pediatrics. When to see a doctor.
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I Accept Show Purposes. Table of Contents View All. Table of Contents. Reasons to Use Ice. How Long to Use Ice. Do You Have to Use Ice? Mistakes to Avoid. Other Strategies to Try. When to See a Doctor. The new recommendation for injury care is P. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign Up. What are your concerns? Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Related Articles. Home Remedies for Cold Sores. Have a Sports Injury? Fortunately, less severe aches and pains may not require professional medical attention. In fact, many common injuries can be effectively treated with ice therapy, heat therapy, or a combination of the two. However, knowing when to use heat or ice and whether to use ice or heat first can be tricky.
In this post, we will explain the proper at-home care for many frequently asked sports injury questions, such as how to treat a sprained ankle and whether you should use heat or ice for muscle strain. Whether the result of a slip around the house or a misstep on the playing field, many of us have experienced a painful sprain or two. A sprain is a common sports injury that generally occurs in the wrists, knees, and ankles. Throughout the human body, tissues known as ligaments support joints by connecting bones to other bones.
A sprain is the result of the tearing or stretching of one of these ligaments too far. Common sprain symptoms include swelling, pain, discomfort, and difficulty moving the affected joint or limb. While ligaments connect bones to other bones, tendons attach muscles to bones throughout the body.
Overexerting a muscle or stretching a tendon or muscle too far can result in a strain. Muscle strains involving the lower back, legs, and shoulders are common. Typical symptoms of strains include pain, general stiffness, weakness, swelling, muscular spasms, and difficulty moving the affected area.
For years, the R. After suffering an acute injury, such as a mild sprain or strain, the RICE technique can help dull pain, minimize swelling, and expedite the recovery process.
Over-the-counter medications such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDS can also be used to help with pain and swelling. As painful as it may be to miss a workout or practice, pushing your body too far too soon can increase the severity of the injury and only prolong its recovery.
Crutches, splints, and bandages can be used to support injuries while performing weight-bearing movements. Ice or ice packs will cause blood vessels to constrict and reduce blood supply to the injury. Reducing blood flow to the area minimizes swelling after an injury. Ice may be necessary for the first few days following an acute injury to prevent swelling.
Another reason to prevent swelling after an injury is to minimize pain, sensitivity, and also shorten the recovery time. Compression reduces inflammation by preventing blood and other fluids from accumulating around the injury. Different parts of the body will require different shapes and styles for the best fit but, no matter the area or injury, there are many types of compression gear available.
The last step of the RICE technique is elevation. As a general rule, after an injury, individuals should try to keep the affected area higher than their heart. Elevating the injury above the heart will decrease the blood flow to the area, decreasing post-injury swelling, and aid the recovery process. It may be necessary to use a chair, bed, or pillows to prop the affected limb or area and achieve the correct elevation.
CBAN is an acronym that stands for cold, burn, ache, numb. Those are the sensations you should feel when applying ice to your injured body part. When you first put ice on, it should feel cold. After keeping ice in place on your injured body part for a few minutes, you should feel a slight burning sensation.
This should only last for a few minutes, and then it will be replaced by an ache. After the aching, you will notice that the ice is making your skin feel numb.
When you get to the numb feeling, it is time to remove the ice, regardless of the amount of time you have placed the ice on your body. The CBAN acronym simply uses your own body's sensations to tell you when to remove the ice. Icing an injury has been the conventional wisdom for some time, but research published in indicates that it may not be absolutely necessary.
After all, your body has been healing itself for quite some time. Why all of the sudden should we control that process by using ice? Ice can help make your injury feel better, so many experts recommend using ice for only a short period of time.
It may be best to keep the ice on for at least five minutes, and then off for 30 minutes to restore normal blood flow. Bottom line: check-in with your healthcare provider use the CBAN method and keep your injured body part moving.
Using the P. That stands for proteciont, optimum loading, ice, compression, and elevation. If you don't have an ice pack or if your ice bag melts and then freezes again into a big block of ice, your icing won't be very effective.
You can make your own ice pack that you can refreeze again and again without it becoming a big ice block. Here's how:. Icing in recent years has been under scrutiny. Is it really effective? Is it necessary? One thing is for sure: it can help decrease your pain and make you feel good. When icing, use the CBAN method, keep the ice on for only about 10 minutes, and keep your body part moving before and after icing.
Checking with your healthcare provider or physical therapist is a good idea to learn exactly how to manage your injury.
When ice is used to reduce pain and inflammation caused by an injury, including after surgical procedures, it's called cryotherapy.
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