Type 2 Sprained ankle

I know rice has always been the advice but I read somewhere recently (sorry no idea where) that this may actually be counter productive. The additional blood flow is bringing healing cells to the repair damage and the swelling is in some ways protective. By limiting these cells with ICE we could in fact be slowing the healing process, although possibly increasing short term comfort. Food for thought

HSSS said:

I know rice has always been the advice but I read somewhere recently (sorry no idea where) that this may actually be counter productive. The additional blood flow is bringing healing cells to the repair damage and the swelling is in some ways protective. By limiting these cells with ICE we could in fact be slowing the healing process, although possibly increasing short term comfort. Food for thought

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Yes. I have recently been reading a book on arthritis, by a physiotherapist who firmly believes that neither heat, nor cold penetrate deeply enough into the tissues to benefit many of the various injuries (not just arthritis) that he sees in his clinic (reference available if anyone would like me to look it up for them).

His suggestion is to make an assessment of where the injury is (how deep in the tissue) and then assess whether cold or heat are likely to penetrate deeply enough to benefit. As examples, heat applied to the skin over the lower back is unlikely to reach the deep muscles of the spine, while ice laid over knuckles, will allow the cold to reach the joint.

Of course, cold also has a pain relieving effect, which should not be underestimated! But I have always found that to be very short lived.

Hope your ankle gets better soon, @canna

I have lost count of the number of people who have cheerfully looked at my sprained ankles and said 'A bad sprain hurts FAR worse than a break, don'tcha know! '
Such helpful comments, eh?