Maybe if I should have used the sarcasm font...I went back and fixed it.
Ice in between innings?
- Thread starter tortuga
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Maybe if I should have used the sarcasm font...I went back and fixed it.
Cold reduces inflammation which promotes healing. Heat increases blood flow to the muscles which also promotes healing but only after the first 24 hours and when inflammation is minimized.
So ice at days end and heat if soreness still exists after 24 hours. If pain exists after 24 hours continue ice. Move on to heat when pain is gone and soreness only exists.
As a medical professional I advise you seek medical attention if any pain exists especially if it last more than 24 hours.
Are there two types of increased blood flow then - one from inflammation, one from heat? Should we view one as "bad" (inflammation), and one as "good" (heat)?
Does the body really know the difference? Or does it just see increased blood flow, and takes advantage of it somehow (white blood cells?) to start the healing/repair process?
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Does the body really know the difference? Or does it just see increased blood flow, and takes advantage of it somehow (white blood cells?) to start the healing/repair process?
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Yes...the body does know the difference...in general the thought is that ice is helpful in the first day or so of injury to reduce acute pain and swelling decreasing blood flow to the area while the vessels are injured and leaking...yes even mild injuries damage vessels.... shortly thereafter the newer thought processes suggest returning to heat as the vessels heal quickly and are needed to promote healing and clear out the by product of inflammation
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- Feb 7, 2013
- 3,188
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Keep it simple. You have an injury = ICE. You have soreness from normal pitching = NO ICE. My DD has pitched for over 8 years and has iced 1 time only. I have not seen any adverse effects on her pitching by NOT ICING. The reason you see elite athletes icing is because they have CHRONIC INJURIES that they have accumulated over the years (e.g. ice baths for football players, etc.). I have seen dad's icing their 8YO pitching arm after the maximum 3 innings of work LOL.
Again I would just caution to be open to the newer studies here. I think of it just like this forum!! It is hard for so many people to realize that HE is simply not the way to pitch, they are stuck in their old ways. ICING is possibly very similar to this, don't just do it because that is what has been taught to us for years- make sure we are all open to current studies.
