There Is a New Way to Treat Sprains and Strains: Ice Is Out
Most of us grew up on the same advice. Twist an ankle, pull a muscle, take a bad step off a curb, and the first move is always the same: ice it. That habit is so ingrained that many people reach for the freezer before they even think about what they’re treating.
Turns out that habit may be working against you. Sports medicine researchers have been taking a closer look at how injuries actually heal, and ice is coming out the loser. Cooling an injured area feels good in the moment, but there’s growing evidence it slows down the body’s own repair work rather than helping it along. Compression and elevation are holding steady. Rest still matters too, just not in the way most people picture it.
Here’s the shift at a glance, then a closer look at each piece.