Ice Baths
likitisplit
Posts: 9,420 Member
Ice Baths are painful when you first get in them and cold to sit in, but wonderful for all the aches and pains your legs accumulate through running and working out. After you get out and towel off, you will feel like you just got the best of professional massages.
Here's the reasoning behind the insanity:
"Swelling is very important at both the cellular and macroscopic levels. When faced with damage, the cells signal a host of chemicals that act as messengers...and an entire cascade of events is set in motion to repair the damaged tissue. At the macroscopic level, swelling is the body's natural attempt to 'splint' the body part.... Swelling increases our pain sensitivity around the area...[so] you will strive to lessen the load on the affected tissue.
Traditional medicine...tries to silence [this]. Taking non-steroid anti-inflammatories, such as Ibuprofen and Naproxen, suppresses the messenger chemicals from 'calling in the troops.' Further, these...medications block the pain receptors, meaning you ignore the fact that the area is dysfunctional and continue to load it.
Newer research has shown that while you may sustain a bit of extra training time taking NSAIDs, the healing will take longer and will not be as complete as if you left the cap on the pill bottle
What about ice? ...Ice acts differently and has no effect on the messenger activation process. Icing the area serves to minimize the swelling that is there. Ice speeds the removal of extracellular fluid around the injured area and thus helps clear the waste products of the repair process away from the injury site."
From "Anatomy for Runners"
Here's the reasoning behind the insanity:
"Swelling is very important at both the cellular and macroscopic levels. When faced with damage, the cells signal a host of chemicals that act as messengers...and an entire cascade of events is set in motion to repair the damaged tissue. At the macroscopic level, swelling is the body's natural attempt to 'splint' the body part.... Swelling increases our pain sensitivity around the area...[so] you will strive to lessen the load on the affected tissue.
Traditional medicine...tries to silence [this]. Taking non-steroid anti-inflammatories, such as Ibuprofen and Naproxen, suppresses the messenger chemicals from 'calling in the troops.' Further, these...medications block the pain receptors, meaning you ignore the fact that the area is dysfunctional and continue to load it.
Newer research has shown that while you may sustain a bit of extra training time taking NSAIDs, the healing will take longer and will not be as complete as if you left the cap on the pill bottle
What about ice? ...Ice acts differently and has no effect on the messenger activation process. Icing the area serves to minimize the swelling that is there. Ice speeds the removal of extracellular fluid around the injured area and thus helps clear the waste products of the repair process away from the injury site."
From "Anatomy for Runners"
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Replies
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I ice my ankle and arch every day whether I run or not, but with just an ice pack. It sure feels good but I think the ice bath would be better. I'm thinking about getting a 5-10 gallon trash bin or something I can put just my lower legs in while I watch TV. I could put it right next to the hot foot bath and jump between the two.0
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I fill up the bathtub hip deep and then dump a couple pounds of ice in. There's only a chunk or two of actual ice by the time I get in, but I think it still counts. I wear a fleece top for the rest of me.
You are sounding very Scandinavian with the hot bath alternation.0 -
A tip they put on Runner's World for ice baths. Get the bucket of ice, and sit in the tub as the cold water fills. Then dump the ice in the tub. Ice baths suck at first. I had to do them for my stress fractures in boot camp. But they feel so good after you get done and they work miracles.0
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You are sounding very Scandinavian with the hot bath alternation.
Scandinavian would be: Cut a hole in the frozen lake and jump in after a sauna.
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You are sounding very Scandinavian with the hot bath alternation.
LOL! Well, my ancestors are from that area so I guess it's in my blood.0 -
You are sounding very Scandinavian with the hot bath alternation.
Scandinavian would be: Cut a hole in the frozen lake and jump in after a sauna.
I'm from Minnesota and your diaspora still do that there
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