I think Dr Knight has had some done.
Aren’t most college students basically chimps though. Good article here.
It is obvious that ligaments require improved circulation in order to heal after an injury. Yet ice is arguably the most widely used therapeutic agent in medicine today, which most definitely decreases circulation. Ice is often the first line of treatment for traumatic injuries, yet its effect on the tissues and their healing has not been studied in depth until recently.
The Research on Ice In one landmark study done at the University of Hawaii, Dr. Sherwin Ho and associates, put a commercially-available ice wrap on one knee for 20 minutes, and on the opposite knee a wrap was placed at room temperature. The knees were then injected with dye and scanned for blood flow. The study showed that all iced knees demonstrated a decrease in arterial and soft tissue blood flow, as well as decreased bone uptake of the dye, which is a reflection of changes in both the bone blood flow and metabolic rate.
The authors go on to conclude that these findings provide a scientific rationale for the use of ice in limiting further hemorrhage and cell injury after traumatic musculoskeletal injuries and surgical procedures.
See the thinking in modern medicine? The last statement would only apply if swelling were occurring in a closed space, leading to the development of a compartment syndrome. This only occurs in muscles (and only those with a lot of damage) and never occurs in ligaments. The last statement would, therefore, not apply around the knee which is full of ligaments. The last statement in the article should read, “The findings provide a scientific rationale as to why ice should not be used in acute ligament injuries because ice has a dramatically negative effect on circulation and cell metabolism.”
The weak link in the musculoskeletal system that is responsible for most nonhealing sports injuries is at the point where the ligaments attach to the bone. These studies show that ice decreases both the soft tissue (ligament) and the bone blood flow. Realize that the blood flow decreased significantly with only a 20-minute wrap. Many athletes ice their injuries for much longer than 20 minutes. The next time the trainer comes toward you with an ice pack, tell him, “Thanks, but no thanks. I want my injury to heal.” Give him a copy of Prolo Your Sports Injuries Away!
Dr. William McMaster of the University of California at Irvine, a well-known researcher on the use of ice therapy and its use in athletics cautions its use because “Cold application or ice has been shown to depress the excitability of free nerve endings and peripheral nerve fibers, increasing pain threshold. This effect is of great value in acute treatment; however, its judicious use can contribute to serious injury. The loss of protective pain sensibility after local icing is probably a contraindication to athletic participation. Additional effects of cold application include: decrease in blood flow, decrease in inflammatory response, and decrease in local edema protection.”
Ice is part of the now-famed R.I.C.E. treatment. R.I.C.E. stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation and is the gold-standard treatment of acute athletic injury. The theory behind RICE is that all swelling is bad and must be removed. It is our opinion that this has been partly propagated because everyone is taught about compartment syndrome, which does not apply to ligament injuries. The other reason that RICE is propagated is because of its use in surgery and in limb-salvage operations.
It is true; ice can be heroic in limb-threatening injury, but to apply that scenario to an ankle sprain, however, does not make sense. You want to increase the chance for healing with an ankle sprain. Using Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation will often produce dramatic, quick, and often permanently devastating effects on ligaments and ligament healing.
on local applications - not the same thing
That’s all that matters
Or it could be the placebo effect. I took an ice bath once I was sore for a week!
I’m afraid that I’ve had a few students for whom the money would would have been better spent on trying to educate a chimp. 