No ice?

I was just cruising around on Facebook again when I came across an interesting article by K-Star a.k.a. Kelly Starrett. His Mobility WOD (workout of the day) website (www.mobilitywod.com) has been getting loads of media attention and I would highly recommend checking it out. He is a Crossfit Trainer with plenty of experience and credentials in kinesiology. Each day, he posts a video as well as a brief blog about creating more flexibility and mobility in order to improve athletic performance, decrease pain, and reduce the possibility of injury.

This recent article was about the need to ditch the ice when an injury occurs. We have all heard the acronym "RICE" which stands for Rest, ICE, Compression, and Elevation. Doctors and physical therapists have been suggesting these four actions to care for a sudden or acute injury, such as a sprained ankle, for decades. K-Star says we have gotten this all wrong!

If your goal is pain relief, ice may provide a temporary numbing. But this article questions the validity of reducing the body's natural response to injury, which is swelling. What we are looking for, after an injury, is the healing response. So the question has to be: what actions might speed the healing response? And after numerous studies, it looks like ice does not.

If you are an athlete, or a weekend warrior, you will definitely find a lot to love about K-Star's Mobility WOD. When you have some time, check it out!