Athletes and Icing
“Should Athletes Return to Sport After Applying Ice?”
This title was the exact title of a comprehensive review published in the Journal of Sports Medicine1. Their conclusion: NO. The researchers reviewed 35 different studies on athletics and ice and published a 19-page report on their findings. Their main objective was to look at the effect of cooling local tissue on functional performance (athletics) and the relevance of ice in sports. A large majority of the studies reported a decrease in strength after icing for 20 minutes or more. There was also evidence that suggested icing adversely affected speed, power, and agility-based running activities. This large review concluded that athletes are at a disadvantage if they return to sport following cooling.
Caring Medical Commentary:
.jpg) The traditional RICE sports injury treatment (rest, ice, compression and elevation) is not one that we recommend at Caring Medical, so we are not surprised to find research that discourages icing for sports injuries. Most sports injuries involve damage to soft tissue such as ligaments and tendons. Inflammation is the result of soft tissue injury and ice is used to decrease inflammation. What the sports world overlooks is the fact that inflammation is the body’s natural response to injury and plays a role in healing. Inflammation means blood is flowing to the injured site. The blood carries healing immune cells ands white blood cells that break down debris and carry it away from injury. A few days after injury the immune cells form fibroblasts that build up collagen to repair damage.
It’s no wonder that ice will decrease strength, speed, power and agility. The natural healing process is halted with ice and the site remains injured. As an alternative we recommend heat to the area and allowing the natural inflammation process to occur over the next few days. Heat, healing supplements and healthy diet should be followed to ensure proper healing. If the pain stays the same or increases in the days following a sports injury it is best to consider an alternative treatment such as Prolotherapy. Prolotherapy is an injection therapy that induces inflammation to begin the healing inflammation cascade to use the body’s own healing factors to rebuild collagen. Caring Medical has years of experience in healing sports injuries with Prolotherapy. Our Prolotherapist, Dr. Ross Hauser has experience in Comprehensive Prolotherapy, Platelet Rich Plasma Prolotherapy (PRP), and Bone Marrow Prolotherapy.
The next time you encounter a sports injury, think twice before applying ice. Instead opt for therapies that increase blood flow such as heat, supplements and Prolotherapy. Check out Caring Medical's website, blog and Facebook page for more information on Prolotherapy for athletes.
1. Bleakley CM, Costello JT, Glasgow PD. Should Athletes Return to Sport After Applying Ice? A Systematic Review of the Effect of Local Cooling on Functional Performance. Sports Med 2012; 42 (1): 69-87
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