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ICE: Simple yet effective

How you manage your injury immediately after it happens will dictate how the musculoskeletal system of your body recovers. No pressure, right? Well that's what your athletic therapist is busy controlling immediately after your injury occurred. When your body sustains an injury like your biceps muscle from overuse or trauma will result in swelling. Imagine your body responding to tissue damage like it was a motor vehicle collision (biceps) and swelling rushing to the area would be fire and paramedics arriving on-site to access the situation and provide support. Sometimes you'll see 4-5 firetrucks with maybe 3 ambulances. Once they've access the area, only the emergency services needed stay on-site while the rest exit back into traffic. Speaking of traffic, while all those emergency vehicles are heading to the collision area, traffic slows down allowing them to safely arrive at their destination. Same thing happens with your body; everything slows down to limit further damage or injury to the area. This is why you'll end up moving slower than normal, if you try to push yourself to move the way you used to, you'll experience pain.

What You'll Experience When You Apply Ice:

(in order of appearance)

Cold Burning Aching Numbness​

 

  • Remove ice BEFORE the area starts feeling numb.

  • HUNTER’S RESPONSE occurs >20 minutes (or when area has been cold for too long), benefits of icing are REVERSED.

  • Your body will increase the blood flow to that area to warm/ prevent any damage from the cold.

There's more than one way to apply ice to an injury

Contrast Bath

Contrast baths have a love hate relationship when it comes to injury rehab. Yet, it's highly effective at the beginning of your injury recovery. 

Benefits:      Best suited for fingers, hands, wrists, ankles, and toes.

Pros:             Reduced application time (5 minutes), reduces recovery time.

Cons:            Not appropriate for sensitivity to cold temperatures.

Ice massage

Ice massages are a great tool to use when you have a specific area that needs to be iced for sore muscles. 

Benefits:           Used for small concentrated areas

Pro:                    Reduced application time (2-3 minutes)

Con:                   Different icing application for larger areas

How to properly ice your knee

Believe it or not, there is a right way and a wrong way to ice you knee when it's injured.

Benefits:           Covers a lot of area for the knee.

Pros:                  Move with ease after icing.

Cons:                 The position forces you to stay at rest.

Cooling down your body when overheated 

The human body functions best when all systems are balanced. Hot weather can affect our bodies causing more than just sweating (our body's way of cooling down). Keep an eye out for infants, kids under 8, the elderly, individuals with medical conditions and caution with certain medications. Children and infants may have difficulties expressing themselves, they're cranky for a reason. 

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