Evaluation of Icing as a Recovery Method Essay Example

📌Category: Health, Health Care
📌Words: 904
📌Pages: 4
📌Published: 31 January 2022

The most important part of an athlete’s durability and longevity in whatever they participate in is their ability to recover. There is a reason Lebron James and athletes like him spend over a million dollars a year on their recovery and dietary plans.  Many methods can be used like cupping, massage, and heat therapy. These methods work by relaxing and pushing blood towards areas of stress. Icing on the other hand, is the best way to help the body recover after physical activity as it reduces swelling and improves blood flow, but it can only be used for short periods and it does not relax tightened muscles. Sometimes in recovery, the simplest and most straightforward of methods are the most effective.

Swelling causes many problems for athletes trying to play at their highest level. After a physical workout, the muscles that have been exhausted will become stagnant. The body sends signals through the release of chemicals and the compression of nerves around the muscles that result in pain. These signals are the body’s way of telling the athlete to stop what they are doing before any further injury takes place. Icing immediately after a workout, will slow the swelling of the muscle and break up the buildup of lactate in the bloodstream. Naturally, swelling can take as long as three months for the body to heal itself. No athlete has the time to wait for such an extended period due to swelling when it can be easily taken care of by applying ice. It takes less than forty-eight hours on average for the swelling to decrease when using cold therapy. Ice also can be used somewhat as a numbing agent to the area of pain. Allowing the central nervous system to calm itself down and increase oxygen intake. The faster the body can tame itself and return to homeostasis, the faster the recovery process will begin.

During a training session, the heart increases its pace to send more oxygenated blood around the body. However, during intensive exercise, the lungs cannot keep up with the heart in supplying enough oxygen to it. Forcing the body to send another signal for the athlete to stop what they are doing in the form of lactic acid. Lactic acid is the buildup of lactate in the bloodstream due to the lack of oxygen from an intense workout. This lactate can cause symptoms such as burning feeling in muscles, cramps, nausea, weakness, and feeling of exhaustion to name a few. These are signs of a body that has passed its lactic threshold. This is when the ice comes into play and constricts blood vessels to flush out the lactic acid from the area. As the body warms back-up, vessels expand, and the athlete catches their breath, it will allow oxygenated blood from the heart to flow more freely. Letting the area heal faster without putting more stress on the body to fight off the otherwise harmful substances.

By no means is ice the find-all cure-all when choosing between recovery methods. Ice cannot do everything you want it to when it comes down to it. If a person has tightness in their upper back, ice would not be the best method to use to loosen up the muscle. In that case, heat therapy or stretching may be the preferred option, because of their abilities to help improve circulation from the start. In other instances, ice can be harmful if used with negligence. For one, ice can only be used for short periods, because frostbite may set in if ice is in contact with the skin for over 45 minutes. Frostbite, otherwise known as ice burn in this case, is the consequence of bare skin being in direct contact with subzero temperatures for an extended time. Once the skin begins to warm back up, it will appear purple due to poor circulation from the constricted blood vessels. If this happens, it can have greater long-term effects than just trying to recover from an injury. Frostbite is not the only long-term health caution t have when using ice. If a person sits in an ice bath for too long, it will do more harm than good. Hypothermia can actualize in just about 30 minutes, even in above freezing water. Ignorantly using ice as a recovery technique can result in detrimental consequences to a person’s health. Using the “RICE” process, is the best way to safely and effectively use cold therapy. Rest after the injury has taken place to reduce further harm, ice off and on about 6 times a day for fifteen minutes at a time, compress the area of pain to reduce help reduce swelling, and lastly elevate the limb a foot above the heart to push more oxygenated blood to the injury. Using this system is almost a full-proof way to diminish the amount of inflammation that would otherwise set in with the coming days.

If an athlete cannot be healthy enough to play at their full potential every time they compete, they will not see the field as much as they would like. Thus is why recovery is such an important part of an athlete’s routine. Ice just happens to be the most effective in most cases, as it helps reduce swelling at the point of stress while improving blood flow and circulation. Though ice cannot be used in every illustration and can be baneful in others. Icing may have its downfalls as a recovery approach, it is the most effective when used correctly, and is the simplest option, so you do not change your body’s natural process of rehabilitation. 

Works Cited

Bellefonds, Colleen de. “Why Ice Baths Help You Bounce Back from Tough Workouts.” Men's Health, Hearst Magazine Media, Inc., 11 Mar. 2019, www.menshealth.com/fitness/a26788252/ice-bath-benefits/#:~:text=Ice%20baths%20reduce%20inflammation%20and,post%2Dworkout%2C%20says%20Clayton.

Cluett, Jonathan. “How to Ice Your Injury the Right Way and Reduce Swelling.” Verywell Health, Dotdash Publishing, 25 Sept. 2019, https://www.verywellhealth.com/how-to-ice-an-injury-2548842.

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