Unfortunately, the commonly-dispensed advice to ice an injury is outdated, not backed by science AND can cause more harm than good.
Dr. Gabe Mirkin, the man behind RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) has retracted his recovery guidelines, stating that while ice reduces inflammation to temporarily relieve pain, in doing so it also reduces our innate healing response and leads to delayed recovery, reduced strength, speed, endurance and coordination – and can even cause tissue death and permanent damage.
Chinese Medicine supports the body’s healing response to promote circulation and speed recovery. CM uses deeply-heating therapies such as moxa and infra-red heat lamps that feel great and help a patient feel their best sooner.
Read Dr Mirkin’s new viewpoint on the use of ice based on new evidence from research.
http://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/why-ice-delays-recovery.html