Training Tip of the Month
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Ice Or Heat?
Immediately after an injury people often ask if they should use ice or heat to treat the injured area. Although both ice and heat have some immediate pain relieving effects, it is recommended that the initial treatment of any musculoskeletal injury be ice.
Ice promotes local constriction of blood vessels, thus controlling inflammation and swelling to the injured area. In contrast, heat increases blood circulation through blood vessel dilation, thereby allowing increased inflammation and swelling to enter the site of injury. In addition to controlling inflammation, using ice immediately after being injured has been shown to significantly decrease pain.
There are several reasons why ice reduces the pain of an acute injury. First, ice reduces inflammation and muscle spasm / muscle guarding that often causes the pain involved in an acute injury. Ice has also been shown to slow the speed of nerve transmission, thereby reducing pain sensations. Finally, ice bombards the pain receptors of the nervous system with so many cold impulses that pain impulses are lost. Although heat does have some immediate pain relieving effects it is not recommended that you apply heat to an injured area within the first 72 hours after being injured. Putting heat on an acute injury has been shown to increase long-term pain and stiffness due to the increased swelling that heat introduces to the injured site.
Another factor when determining whether to use heat or ice for an injury is the depth of the injury. Cold applied to the skin is capable of significantly lowering the temperature of tissues at a considerable depth if cold is applied for 20 to 30 minutes. If the injury were an injury to deep tissue, like a hamstring or quadriceps strain, ice would be most beneficial in treating the injury. If the injury were to be a more surface tissue injury like is a low back strain, and ice has already been used as the initial treatment, then heat may be of benefit in treating the pain.
To summarize, when you sustain an injury it is best that you treat it with ice for the first 72 hours after being injured. Ice decreases inflammation and swelling, decreases muscle spasm and muscle guarding, and decreases pain to the injured area. In contrast, heat should not be applied to an injury within the first 72 hours after being injured because heat has been shown to increase inflammation and swelling, thereby increasing long-term pain and muscle guarding. Ice is also more beneficial when treating deep tissue injuries such as quad and hamstring strain. Heat does have pain-relieving benefits when treating injuries, but only after initially treating these injuries with ice.
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July, 2007
Dangers of Dehydration
June, 2007
Ice Or Heat?
May, 2007
Speed, Agility, and Conditioning Camp
April, 2007
What To Do When A Tooth Gets Knocked Out
February, 2007
EXERCISE AND THE COMMON COLD
January, 2007
Precautions To Take When Training Outdoors in Winter
December, 2006
Hamstring Flexibility
November, 2006
Weight Loss in Wrestling
September, 2006
Choosing the Right Shoes
August, 2006
Core Strength
June, 2006
What It Means To Be An Athlete
May, 2006
Performance Enhancement Camps
April, 2006
Shin Splints
March, 2006
Bone Health: More than Just Calcium
February, 2006
Calcium For A Healthy Body
December, 2005
Caffeine as an Ergogenic Aid
November, 2005
Plantar Fasciitis
September, 2005
Warm Up and Cool Down
August, 2005
Nutrition Considerations for the Athlete
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6th Annual
sports medicine symposium
and golf outing
Thursday, August 3rd, 2006
Mark your calendars for our 6th Annual Sports Medicine Symposium and Golf Outing. Once again, the event will be held at Windwood Country Club in Watertown. This FREE symposium will include information to help coaches succeed at all levels of competition. Once the symposium is over, join us for a FREE lunch, and a FREE 9 holes of golf.
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Speed and Agility Camp
Starting June 12th through July 28th
6 weeks excluding the week of July 3rd through July 7th
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Cost: $110
WAHS Sports Medicine believes that speed, agility, and conditioning are essential to athletic success. In order to help you achieve your full potential, our highly trained performance enhancement staff at WAHS Sports Medicine has developed a 6 week speed and agility camp.
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Functional Strength and Power Camp
Starting June 13th and ending July 27th
Excludes week of July 3rd through July 7th
Tuesdays and Thursdays
9:00 AM– 10:30 AM
Cost: $85
WAHS Sports Medicine has developed challenging, functional, and effective alternative to weightlifting. Unlike traditional weightlifting, the camp integrates traditionally proven exercises as well as advanced exercises to work all muscle groups in unison, thereby increasing overall strength, power and coordination, while decreasing the risk of injury.
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Related Links
Careers:
www.nata.org National Athletic Trainers Association
www.apta.org American Physical Therapist Association
Health and Injury Information:
www.acsm.org American College of Sports Medicine
www.ncaa.org National Collegiate Athletic Association
www.wiaawi.org/health/nutrition Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic
Association
www.gssiweb.com Gatoraide Sports Science Institiute
www.iasm.com Institute for Arthroscopy and Sports Medicine
www.physsportsmed.com The Physician & Sports Medicine
www.ORTHOsupersite.com The Orthopaedics Supersite
www.sportsdentistry.com Academy for Sports Dentistry
www.aapsm.org American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine
www.biausa.org Brain Injury Association of America
www.subtlebraininjury.com Subtle Brain Injury Website
www.sportsmedresources.com Sports Medicine Resources Website
www.asmi.org American Sports Medicine Institute
www.ortho-u.net Wheeless' Textbook of Orthopaedics
www.lightningsafety.com National Lightning Safety Institute
www.webmd.com WebMD
www.nocsae.org National Operating Committee on Standards for
Athletic Equipment
Strength and Conditioning:
www.athleticsearch.com Athletic Search on Web
www.nsca-lift.org National Strength and Conditioning Association
www.nasm.org National Academy of Sports Medicine
www.coaching.usolympicteam.com Olympic E-Coach Magazine
www.ncsf.org National Council of Strength & Fitness
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