http://www.yellow-llama.com/icing-an-injury-a-thing-you-didnt-think-you-never-knew/ Thu, 08 Dec 2011 07:16:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.yellow-llama.com/icing-an-injury-a-thing-you-didnt-think-you-never-knew/comment-page-1/#comment-16218 Ted Sat, 21 Jun 2008 01:49:38 +0000 http://www.yellow-llama.com/index.php/yl/icing-an-injury-a-thing-you-didnt-think-you-never-knew/#comment-16218 I run a sports medicine clinic in the Seattle area. We NEVER have our athletes use ice. Ice helps reduce pain and swelling but it slows the recovery rate. Blood is not a bad thing - it's how the body heals. Inflammation is not a bad thing - it's how the body heals. No inflammation = no healing. The Ice/RICE protocol has no scientific research that shows it helps speed up RECOVERY; reduces pain and swelling, yes. Healing, no. We have scores of athletes who go to the doctor with an injury, are told they will be out two weeks and we repeatidly get them back playing at full strength within a week. We utilize something called pulsed energy therapy. It actually helps to arrest the injury, stop it in its tracks. It also helps reduce free radicals (which damage the body). I know ice/RICE is the standard of care but it is not backed by science. Everyone believes in it because everyone believes in it. In medicine, that's known as the tomato effect (search the net for that one). Do not use ice - it's not going to help you (unless you cut off a finger and want the doc to sew it back on. I run a sports medicine clinic in the Seattle area. We NEVER have our athletes use ice. Ice helps reduce pain and swelling but it slows the recovery rate. Blood is not a bad thing – it’s how the body heals. Inflammation is not a bad thing – it’s how the body heals. No inflammation = no healing. The Ice/RICE protocol has no scientific research that shows it helps speed up RECOVERY; reduces pain and swelling, yes. Healing, no. We have scores of athletes who go to the doctor with an injury, are told they will be out two weeks and we repeatidly get them back playing at full strength within a week. We utilize something called pulsed energy therapy. It actually helps to arrest the injury, stop it in its tracks. It also helps reduce free radicals (which damage the body). I know ice/RICE is the standard of care but it is not backed by science. Everyone believes in it because everyone believes in it. In medicine, that’s known as the tomato effect (search the net for that one). Do not use ice – it’s not going to help you (unless you cut off a finger and want the doc to sew it back on.

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