Stop Icing Injuries

Icing injuries can actually delay healing time. Avoid this debunked practice in order to heal faster.
Stop icing injuries
Ice has been a go-to therapy for soft tissue injury for decades. In the 1970’s, Dr. Gabe Mirkin coined the acronym RICE to help people remember how to deal with injuries (Rest, Ice, Compression & Elevation).
 
But based on more recent research, Dr. Mirkin himself and most of the scientific community have changed their stance and now recommend avoiding ice. In fact, ice and complete rest of the injured area are likely to delay healing instead of help.
 
The main reason for this comes down to inflammation. Specifically, the body needs short-term inflammation in order to heal properly. In an inflammatory response, tissues swell so that additional blood can fit in the injured area. In that blood is a magical soup of healing: white blood cells (to clean up debris and fight infection), natural pain killers, hormones, and nutrients that combine to speed up the healing process.
 
Applying ice to an injured tissue slows down this process. Ice or cold causes blood vessels to constrict and restricts that tissue-healing blood from getting to the area. This delays healing in the best case scenario and in the worst case scenario, tissue can die from lack of blood flow resulting in permanent damage (this is often part of the problem in cases of sprained ankles that “never heal all the way”).
 
So what should you do post-injury? Well, it depends on the injury. For any injury, stop what you are doing – don’t try to power through it. If you suspect or think it is possible that there is a broken bone or if you lose consciousness, you have to get checked out by a doctor ASAP to avoid long-term complications. If you hit a body part and expect a bruise, I usually recommend a combination of Arnica and Chinese topical herbal formulas to help move blood (aiding the natural inflammatory process) and relieve pain.
 
Sprains depend on the severity, and should absolutely be evaluated and treated effectively by a trained sports medicine practitioner. In most cases, a combination of Chinese topical herbs, massage & acupuncture around the injured area can work wonders in healing a sprained ligament or strained muscle.
 
Have a specific question, comment or injury? Let me know about it! I’m happy to help.
Chris Goddin, owner and acupuncture of Balance Wellness

Why choose Balance?

I have made it my mission to be an advocate for you, my patients, and determine what steps you need to take to improve your health and get to the root of your health issues. My background in Integrative Medicine gives me the opportunity to understand the various mechanisms that are causing your health issues and the tools we can use to fix them.

I feel extremely fortunate to have found this medicine and I look forward to the opportunity to share it with you!

—Chris Goddin, L.Ac.

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