Treating Injuries with Ice Massage
Ice and massage. The two words just don’t seem to go together well, do they? When most people think of massage, they picture a warm fireplace in the background or a hot stone massage. Any warmth added to a massage not only reduces the tension in muscles but it also makes you feel all yummy and cozy inside.
The massage I mentioned above are for muscles that are simply tight but with no inflammation or severe pain. Yes, if the muscle gets to a certain level of stiffness it can cause pain, but muscle tension and muscle injury are two different animals.
Injury
Pain from a muscle injury occurs when you do the following
- muscle strain
- pull a muscle
- muscle sprain
It’s important that you know that ice massage is mostly used for the above mentioned injuries. When you visit a massage therapist, they should ask questions about how you got hurt. If not, the correct massage will not be applied to you.
Tension
Good ole’ fashion muscle tension is what every human being experiences from the moment we begin using our muscles. The muscle contracts and presto! You have muscle tension. You build muscle tension whenever you use resistance training or strength training. This tension built over repetitious contractions (known as “reps”) makes the muscle strong. Muscle also accumulates tension when you’re stressed, either mentally or emotionally.
When to Use Ice
Every person is different as is every injury. The general rule of thumb is to use ice to apply to the injured area about 1-3 days after the injury. Again, this is a cookie cutter rule so if you need ice longer that’s fine. After all, some people are prone to higher levels of inflammation. You can use an ice pack and place it on the injured muscle or… you can use ice massage. To make your own ice cup. Here’s the recipe:
- one foam or paper cup
- fill cup with 2/3rd of water (because ice will expand)
- wait 4 hours
- check for water to have been completely frozen
- remove top strip of the cup (1/4) by tearing all around until an inch of ice is shown.
- massage injured muscle with exposed ice from cup in circular motions.
Important: keep that ice moving and do not keep it on the skin! If not, you will burn the skin.
“But I Hate Ice!”
OK, just bear with me for a moment. Ice is golden and this is why:
- no anti inflammatory drugs with side effects
- it’s cheap or free
- it works!
For those sensitive types that hate anything cold, I feel your pain. I really do but if you’re going the natural route for therapy then ice is your new best friend.
Besides, the list above should be an encouragement for you. You must think in the long term regarding your healing not the immediate discomfort.
Hot Blooded
For those people that run warm, have high blood pressure and dream of a mountain cabin in the snow, I don’t have to sell you on this, do I? You love the cold! This is why most athletes can resist ice massage from their physical therapy team. You have a high tolerance to cold and because you run hot, you welcome any relief from the heat. Massage tip : hot stone massage? not for you. More on that in another post.
Well, ladies and gents, this wraps it up for the world of ice massage. It pretty much rocks, it’s effective (which I love) and it’s cheap. Enjoy and wishing you quick relief and a fast recovery.
