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I know there has been a lot of confusion on if you should use ice or heat after an injury. Some research states that the use of ice may delay the natural healing cascade provided by your body in order to heal. Others state that ice is good to help manage the inflammation caused by the injury. In my experience I have found ice to be helpful in managing acute injury for the first 72 hours after the injury has occurred. Heat has it’s place, but that is for another blog post.
One of the ways to administer ice is by doing an ice massage, which can be very beneficial around the joints such as the wrists, ankle and knees. Ice massage is a form of cryotherapy that is performed for no more than 5 minutes. Apply the ice cup over the involved area in a small circular motion. This helps decrease pain and constrict blood flow to the area while mobilizing the soft tissues in a similar way as a massage. Hence the name: ice massage.
- Grab a paper or Styrofoam Dixie cup.
- Fill the cup 3/4 of the way full of water.
- Put the cup of water in the freezer overnight.
- After completely frozen, and when needed, tear the bottom of the cup off leaving the top portion on so you can hold onto it without it being cold.
