Ice massage works quickly - for injuries - Brief Article

Running & FitNews, Nov, 1999

If you want to cool down an injury in a hurry use ice to massage the area as opposed to simply placing the ice at the site of the injury. At least that's the conclusion reached by researchers reporting in the Journal of Orthopedics, Sports, and Physical Therapy. Fourteen male and female subjects were randomly assigned to either ice massage or traditional ice bag placement. A temperature probe was inserted into the gastrocnemius (the big calf muscle) and temperatures were observed. The muscles of both groups got just as cold and stayed cold afterwards for about the same length of time. However, the massage group achieved the low temperature a lot faster--7.9 minutes on average versus 28.2 minutes.

If you suffer an acute injury and want to cool things down in a hurry, massage with your ice--it's more efficient than just holding it on the injury. Freeze water in a paper cup. When its ready, simply tear off half of the cup and use the remaining part to hold. The length of time you need to massage depends on how much fat tissue covers the area. Ice a toe, for example, only a few minutes as compared to your calf muscle, which would need more time. Ice should he kept in motion and you can expect to feel--CBAN--Cold Burning, Aching, and then Numbness. Take care not to overcool the skin since you can damage skin with frostbite. Ice massage should be repeated three to four times a day for the first 24 to 48 hours following the injury. (Journal of Orthopedics, Sports, and Physical Therapy, 1998, Vol. 27, No. 4, pp. 301-307)