Cooling an area of the body after an injury, also called cryotherapy, helps cut the amount of swelling by reducing blood flow. A crucial point in cryotherapy is the duration of cooling. Ice initially causes your blood vessels to contract, for a period between 10-15 minutes, followed by a phase where the blood vessels expand. After 5 more minutes the blood vessels contract again. For this reason, the recommendation is to leave ice on for 20 minutes. Wait 10 minutes before applying cold to the tissues again.
Total treatment time depends on the extent of the injury. In the case of a muscle injury, warming up after cooling is recommended to restore normal function of the muscle.
In any case cryotherapy is most effective in the first 24 hours after the injury. After 24hrs it is better to switch to hot/cold contrast. Start with 5 minutes of cold, then 5 minutes of hot. Repeat this pattern until 30 minutes has passed. Switching between hot and cold causes the blood vessels to contract and then expand, acting like a pump, flushing out any remaining swelling.
If you have an injury or more questions about ice don't hesitate to ask. We'll help you get back on the Right Trac.
Total treatment time depends on the extent of the injury. In the case of a muscle injury, warming up after cooling is recommended to restore normal function of the muscle.
In any case cryotherapy is most effective in the first 24 hours after the injury. After 24hrs it is better to switch to hot/cold contrast. Start with 5 minutes of cold, then 5 minutes of hot. Repeat this pattern until 30 minutes has passed. Switching between hot and cold causes the blood vessels to contract and then expand, acting like a pump, flushing out any remaining swelling.
If you have an injury or more questions about ice don't hesitate to ask. We'll help you get back on the Right Trac.
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