Ice to reduce inflammation may be retarding natural repair process

[Slyhunter]

Why Icing a Sprain Doesn’t Help, and Could Slow Recovery

By trying to reduce inflammation, you could also be interfering with the process of repair.

getpocket.com

Pocket

My family has ice bags always ready for someone to use to lessen swelled bruising or sprains. Maybe a hot bath would be better?

 

[White 6]

Why Icing a Sprain Doesn’t Help, and Could Slow Recovery

By trying to reduce inflammation, you could also be interfering with the process of repair.

getpocket.com

Pocket

My family has ice bags always ready for someone to use to lessen swelled bruising or sprains. Maybe a hot bath would be better?

Chilling, often help relieve pain and inflammation. Both PJ (still in recovery) and I have had major knee surgery. Ice packs and Mr Ice machine help with pain and inflammation, especially in the physical therapy sessions, as they heat it up, work it (increasing pain and inflammation) to get the joint and muscles back to normal. Just in pain relieve alone, it is far better (in the long run) than pain meds. Many people, on their own, use ice wrong. You are not going to freeze your way out of the recovery process, but chilling to reduce inflammation is helpful.

 

[shockedcanadian]

Why Icing a Sprain Doesn’t Help, and Could Slow Recovery

By trying to reduce inflammation, you could also be interfering with the process of repair.

getpocket.com

Pocket

My family has ice bags always ready for someone to use to lessen swelled bruising or sprains. Maybe a hot bath would be better?

For me it is generally to prevent further swelling which is often where the pain resides. Keep control.of the swelling, pain in a joint or.movement, stretching of the skin and then let the body do its work.

 

[Esdraelon]

Technically, anti-inflammatory medications and even antihistamines can be said to "retard healing". It's a simple cost-benefit play.

 

[Muhammed]

Inflammation can cause further tissue damage after a traumatic injury, so you really want control swelling ASAP after a sprain or strain. A cold compress will cause local vasoconstriction to mitigate swelling and aspirin is a mild anti-inflammatory drug. So a cold compress and a couple aspirin is the goto first aid.

Of course that doesn't mean you leave a cold compress on forever. After the inflammation is under control, you can switch to contrast therapy, where you alternate between warm and cold application.