08/22/2021
In 1978 Harvard physician Dr. Gabe Mirkin coined the term RICE (Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation.) as the recommended treatment for sports injuries. Since this time, the medical community has religiously used this protocol for the treatment of all acute injuries AND in the recovery of intense exercise. But here's the deal, just because the pain and soreness you experience is decreased temporarily with ice does NOT mean you’re fixing the problem. In fact, you actually may be doing more harm than good.🤯
What most don't realize is that in 2013 Dr. Gabe Mirkin came out and WITHDREW his original statement writing, “Subsequent research shows that ice can actually delay recovery. Mild movement helps tissue to heal faster, and the application of cold suppresses the immune responses that start and hasten recovery."❌
To read the full blog post (8-10 min read) on why ice is a bad idea after injury and in the recovery from intense exercise (including 30 cited research articles), check out “Dont Ice, Walk It Off” on SquatUniversity.com📲
Sure, if you’re in 10 out of 10 pain, some ice can be helpful to decrease pain. But, our goal should always be to treat the WHY behind pain and not try to cover it up by addressing the symptoms.
So what would be a better choice than ice for Lebron here between games/practices? We dont always want to do MORE training as his body needs to recover as well. I’m a big fan of NMES devices for this reason (such as the ) as it can help optimize recovery while you passively rest. It mimics active recovery bringing blood flow to the areas you need it & removes the bad (swelling & damaged cells) that comes with injury & intense training so you can optimize recovery rather than JUST take the symptoms away with ice.
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