Maybe Ice Isn’t the Answer After All
Putting ice on an injury has been the go to method of recovery for athletes seemingly since the beginning of time. Even non-athletes reach for the ice-pack, or the frozen bag of peas when they get a stubbed toe or punch in the face. It seems like common sense to put something cold on something that is throbbing in pain, but new research suggests that maybe the extreme cold is actually doing more harm and less healing.
We have always been told that ice stops swelling. However, science proves that this is a false claim. Ice doesn’t actually stop the inflammation, it simply reduces the blood circulation to the iced area of the body. Blood circulation is a crucial part of healing the body, especially after a workout, which begs the question if adding the ice is really doing any good. In fact, the Journal of Emergency Medicine and the British Journal of Sports Medicine both have recently come out with studies that found that icing an injury does not speed up recovery. There was actually no evidence that it helped at all with healing and even suggested that it hindered the recovery process.
Even though it might physically feel good to put ice on the pain, just know that by doing so you are reducing the amount of fluid that is trying to flood the area to actually heal the trouble zone. The good thing is that there are alternatives to ice. If you are really sore after a tough work out try implementing a light, non-strenuous jog the next day to increase blood circulation. Compression is also a tried and true method to reduce swelling. By using compression sleeves or foam rollers you can trigger the lymphatic system to diminish swelling. You can also use ice minimally to create a compression effect. By alternating cold and hot you can create a sort of natural compressing machine with your own body by constricting fluid flow with the ice and then allowing it to circulate again with the heat.
The bottom line is that this new research should not be dismissed. Don’t make ice your default method of recovery. Try new avenues when dealing with an injury and see if you can feel the difference yourself.