How To Ice An Injury
Icing an injured body part is critical to the recovery and treatment process. We checked in with the medical director of the Joint Rehabilitation & Sports Medical Center in Los Angeles, for some tips on how to ice an injury.
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Step 1:
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Swerve From The Nerve
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Don't put it over the area where there is a nerve for example if you've injured your elbow be careful because the ulnor nerve is right there in the groove you can feel. If you over ice that nerve you can actually damage it permanently.
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Step 2:
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Tissue Is An Issue
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When you are icing an area be sure you have some cushion between the ice and the tissue so that you don't burn the tissue.
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Step 3:
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Keep It Moving
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Make sure you are moving the ice around so that it can be distributed evenly rather than focusing just in one spot.
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Step 4:
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20 Minutes Max
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Don't use ice for more than 20 minutes in an area. If you do, the blood vessels that come into the area will actually expand just like heat and cause more inflammation.
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Step 5:
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All Day Long
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Ice can be used several times during a day; however, there should be a period of at least an hour between treatments.
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Step 6:
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Switch to heat
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After 72 hours of cooling the area, using ice or chryotherapy of some form, then typically switch to heat. The heating will open up the blood vessels and allow fluid to get to the area, and blood to get to the area, white blood cells to get to the area. They are going to reduce the inflammation by getting rid of the toxins. And bring in nutrients to the area to actually heal it.
