If You Never Tri, You'll Never Know!

Ice Ice Baby (the right way)

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Most of us have heard of the RICE or PRICE for injuries (protection, rest, ice, compression, elevation). And most of us know to put ice on an injury immediately after it happens (or as soon as possible) to relieve inflammation. But do you know how to PROPERLY ice??
I'm about to tell you...

CBAN - cold, burn, ache, numb

Let me walk you through it...
Injury (uh oh!!)
Put a couple scoops of crushed or cubed ice in a towel and apply to the injured area with an ace bandage or some kind of wrap. The ice should not touch the skin, always use something thin to protect your skin from the ice.

Now to feeeel: COLD will last a few minutes before BURN sets in. Let it burn. The discomfort is worthy! Fading into an ACHE, keep the ice on till you reach NUMB. Once it's numb, remove the ice otherwise you could damage tissues and nerves. That's right my friends, cold, burn, ache, numb. Only with these feelings are you icing right.

The thickness of the injured area determines how long ^^ this is gonna take. The knee might take 10-15 minutes while quads or booty might take 18-20 minutes. COLD, BURN, ACHE, NUMB

How often should you apply the ice? Allow one hour between icings. And ice for 3 days following the injury. Don't use heat!! No heat for at least 72 hours. Heat causes resultant vasodilation which promotes tissue swelling. The goal is to reduce swelling. After 3 days of icing, you can use heat. Ice ice baby - do it right for the most effective injury treatment.

And please, if things aren't right, go see a doctor! An injury left untreated doesn't get better.