Hold the Ice! Pain Relief for Sprains and Bruises
Jun 11, 2024
Most of us have been trained to immediately slap an ice pack on a twisted ankle or other acute injury. There’s even a handy acronym to help you remember the steps to take; Rest Ice Compress Elevate or RICE. This advice runs counter to what our training as acupuncturists teaches us, which is generally to use warming therapies like moxibustion to help ease pain and speed healing. In recent years, Western science has come to agree with our approach - in fact the physician who developed the RICE method announced in 2015 that he was wrong, declaring “ the application of cold suppresses the immune responses that start and hasten recovery.”
What exactly is the problem with icing an injury? Let’s dig into what happens when you hurt yourself. Your body mounts an inflammatory response, with chemicals and hormones springing into action. They ring the alarm bell to cause pain so you know you’re injured, and send repair cells and fluids to the area. Initially blood flow will be constricted to stop any bleeding, and then it will increase as your body starts to heal. This is acute inflammation.
For most regular people, using ice immediately after you hurt yourself to numb the pain won’t cause major problems, but it will slow down your healing by constricting blood vessels and reducing the inflammatory response that your body uses to repair itself. Research has shown that using ice doesn’t reduce pain and swelling overall, and can increase the time it takes for you to recover and get back to normal.
Acupuncture is effective for chronic pain, but we can also help with new injuries, offering relief that supports your body’s healing. This includes not just acupuncture, but herbal liniments, patches and compresses, moxibustion heat therapy, and movement and massage to speed recovery and reduce pain.
So what to do instead of RICE? There have been a variety of new acronyms proposed, but the main principles are to rest right after an injury, get medical attention if necessary to ensure you haven’t broken anything and use heat, over-the-counter analgesics and ice if necessary to manage the pain. Very gentle movement can help circulate lymphatic fluid and reduce swelling. Let your body be your guide, and stop if you feel pain.
Many of the pain relieving liniments and patches we have at Energy Matters are great to keep on hand and can be used to give you some immediate relief. There are also herbal combinations that offer an alternative to NSAIDs and other pain-killers. Ask your practitioner if there’s one she recommends for you.
If summer fun turns into a summer sprain, put away your ice pack and give your acupuncturist a call to get you back on your feet.
Keep Cool,
Kirsten Cowan L.Ac
Clinic Manager
Sources: https://thesportjournal.org/article/the-r-i-c-e-protocol-is-a-myth-a-review-and-recommendations/