

Why Ice Delays Recovery - cpncrunch
http://drmirkin.com/fitness/why-ice-delays-recovery.html

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cpncrunch
Also, rest (the R part of the "RICE" acronym previously advocated by Dr
Mirkin) delays recovery:

[http://www.healthline.com/health-news/rice-method-for-
sports...](http://www.healthline.com/health-news/rice-method-for-sports-
injuries-not-best-practice-040314)

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calebm
I just sprained my ankle on Monday, and I've not iced it, and been trying to
use it lightly.

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jeffwass
I just sprained my ankle and have some other anecdotes.

A couple days after the sprain, my physio told me to ice for about 20 mins and
that the last few minutes are the most important, because the icing actually
increases blood flow to the joint as the body tries to warm up the cold
extremity. This apparently brings in all the healing goodness due to increased
circulation mentioned in the article.

I also sprained my other ankle several years ago, and that physio wanted me
moving on it as soon as I could (after X-ray showed no fracture). She said
that movement helps get blood supply to the bones and joints which aids the
healing. She also said that the bone that heals the fastest is the rib,
because people are constantly breathing 24/7 and thus it gets constantly
supplied with fresh blood.

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baseballmerpeak
Yes, increased blood flow is integral to recovery. Ice slows that down.
However, icing is not categorically bad. 10 minutes in an ice bath does
wonders at helping to dispatch the lactic acid accumulated during a long
event.

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tghw
Lactic acid does not cause muscle soreness. In fact, it is used as fuel for
muscles. This isn't the article I want, but I can't find that one now, so this
one will have to do:

[http://running.competitor.com/2014/01/training/six-lies-
you-...](http://running.competitor.com/2014/01/training/six-lies-you-were-
taught-about-lactic-acid_29432)

