Tag: sprains

Icing a sprain may actually interfere with healing. Check out what science is telling us now.

Posted on by bill
Icing a sprain may actually interfere with healing. Check out what science is telling us now. A while ago, I began offering patients a new brochure called RICE no more on what to do instead of icing everything swollen and painful.  It was based on the current science. Apparently, the public and health professionals are just starting to embrace these new ideas. The evidence is growing that icing as we used to do it based on dogma from the 1970s does not stand up to scientific scrutiny according to a recent Washington Post article. A recent blog post takes this Read More »

Ice no more says the newest research about how to recover from most sprains and strains faster.

Posted on by bill
Ice no more says the newest research about how to recover from most sprains and strains faster. Sprain an ankle, apply the RICE formula with ice, rest, elevation and compression.   That has been the rule until now. One of our oldest educational brochures recommends that you use ice for pain and swelling and heat for minor aches and stiffness.  Surprising new information says ice is more harmful than helpful, and may actually delay or injure an area. An article in the Journal Sports Medicine from 1986  adapted from Gabe Mikin MD had suggested that the actual effect ice has on injured tissues is to Read More »