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We stretched our limbs good and long before setting out to answer this question. After all, we didn't want to sprain a finger while typing "ice injury what happens" in the Yahoo! search box. We quickly found some promising results -- all in all, a painless experience. We first stopped by an article titled "Even in Winter, Ice is Your Friend" from the Body Mechanics site. The article calls ice "the best topically applied anti-inflammatory agent ever invented." That's some strong praise for frozen water, but it turns out that good ol' ice does the job incredibly well. When you're injured, your body responds by going into
protective mode and swelling in the area of the injury. However, sometimes the body doesn't know when to stop swelling -- that's where ice comes in. When a cold pack is applied to your skin, it "acts to slow down metabolism at the injury site, so your body can begin healing itself more quickly." Ice also acts as an analgesic to slow down and block pain impulses. We bent over backward to find another site with information on the healing powers of ice and turned up a ice massage page from Spine-Health.com. According to this page, icing an injury: - Slows the inflammation and swelling that occurs after injury. Most back pain is accompanied by some type of inflammation,
and addressing the inflammation also helps reduce the pain.
- Helps to relieve the pain by numbing sore tissues (like a local anesthetic).
- Slows the nerve impulses in the area, which interrupts the pain-spasm reaction between the nerves.
Ice should be applied soon after the injury occurs. The coldness makes the veins in the tissue contract, which reduces circulation in the area. After the cold compress is removed, the veins overcompensate and dilate. Once that happens, the blood rushes into the area and brings with it the nutrients necessary to heal the injured area. Every site we referenced states that the best method of recovery after a minor muscle or ligament injury is the famous RICE method -- rest,
ice, compression, and elevation. If this method doesn't help and you experience persistent pain or swelling, it's time to consult a physician.
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