Why Traditional Ice Therapy (R.I.C.E.) Doesn’t Work
In 1978, Gabe Mirkin M.D.- a sports medicine doctor coined the acronym R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compress, and elevate 20 minutes on and 40 minutes off for up to 72 hours) as a way to deal with any muscle/ligament related injury. However, he has since recanted his support for the regimen. On March 16, 2014, he wrote “Coaches have used my ‘RICE’ guideline for decades, but now it appears that both Ice and complete Rest may delay healing, instead of helping. In a recent study, athletes were told to exercise so intensely that they developed severe muscle damage that caused extensive muscle soreness. Although cooling delayed swelling, it did not hasten recovery from this muscle damage.”
Rather he recommends a shorter duration of ice, if necessary – 10 min of ice and remove for 20 min only for the first 6 hours. Other than that compression and rest but with some mild movement to encourage blood flow is recommended, as long as it doesn’t increase pain.
For full article as well as the studies conducted:
