should i ice or heat my swolen ankle.......?

Question

i sprained my right ankle a week and two days ago and had iced it down for a week straight and did R.I.C.E.....this wednesday that just passed i began to run on it and the lil bit of swollenness that was there is now still there ...its not much,but yet just a little.and today i went practice kicking on it and it felt fine,but its still just a lil swollen...should i ice or heat?...ive heard that you should only ice for about the first 72hours then heat....plz help!

Answer 1

Cold reduces swelling. Heat makes it swell more.

Always put ice on a sports injury. No more than 15 minutes at a time (then a fifteen minute break before trying again).

Answer 2

If it is still painful you probably want to keep that ice on it (15 minutes per sitting). If there is no pain and just some minor swelling then the edema (the stuff in your body that swells up!) may be permenant or semi-permenant. I sprained my ankle severly about 8 years ago and it has never gone all the way down. Try to keep it wrapped (be sure you know how to do this properly, wrapping it too tight can make it worse!) and ice it when it hurts. Otherwise I wouldn't worry about it too much. The body is a resilient thing, it knows what it's doing. V

Answer 3

The ice keeps swelling down to prevent more injury from the actuall swelling, but it slows down the healing process, so it is a trade off. The heat after the ankle has already started healing correctly, stimulates more blood flow, and speeds up healing a little bit, but if the swelling continues, stop with the heat. If it stays swollen and painful, you might want to see a doctor. I broke my ankle and didn't know it, but it took 2 months before it stopped hurting. I didn't know it had been broken until 6 months later when I twisted it again, and had x rays taken.

Answer 4

If there is swelling ice until the swelling is gone then heat. Ice is usually used when the injury first occurs. But if you re injury yourself then ice for first 24 hours The swelling should be gone then heat. I think you maybe rushing into activity too quickly let your ankle heal. You may have bigger problems if you don't

Answer 5

Should you ice or heat an injury?
Ice packs and heat pads are among the most commonly used treatments in orthopedics. So which one is the right one to use, ice or heat? And how long should the ice or heat treatments last? Read on for information about treatment of injuries with ice packs and heating pads...
Ice Treatment
Ice treatment is most commonly used for acute injuries. If you have a recent injury (within the last 48 hours), where swelling is a problem, you should be using ice treatment. Ice packs can help minimize swelling around the injury.
Ice packs are commonly used after injuries such as an ankle sprain. Applying an ice pack early and often for the first 48 hours will help minimize swelling.

Decreasing swelling around an injury will help to control the pain.
Ice treatments may also be used for chronic conditions, such as overuse injuries in athletes. In this case, ice the injured area after activity. Never ice a chronic injury before activity. However, icing after activity will help control the inflammatory response.

Heat Treatment
Heat treatments should be used for chronic conditions to help relax and loosen tissues, and to stimulate blood flow to the area. Use heat treatments on chronic conditions, such as overuse injuries, before participating in activities.
Do not use heat treatments after activity, and do not use heat after an acute injury (see above). Heating tissues can be accomplished using a heating pad, or even a hot, wet towel. When using heat treatments, be very careful to use a moderate heat for a limited time (be careful of burns). Never leave heating pads or towels on for extended periods or while sleeping.

Ice or Heat?
When To Use

Use ice after an acute injury, such as an ankle sprain, or after activities that irritate a chronic injury, such as shin splints.

Use heat before activities that irritate chronic injuries such as muscle strains. Heat can help loosen tissues and relax injured areas.

How To Do It Read through the information on How to Ice an Injury. Find several ways to ice an injury. Heating pads or hot wet towels are both excellent methods. Place a washcloth under hot tap water and then apply to the injured area.

For How Long Apply ice treatments for no longer than 20 minutes at a time. Too much ice can do harm, even cause frostbite; it is not "better" to ice excessively. It is not necessary to apply a heat treatment for more than about 20 minutes at a time. Never apply heat while sleeping.

Answer 6

If you hurt yourself, the rule of thumb is to get ice on it up to 30 minutes after it happens. If it is more than an hour before yo put ice on it, then you should not even bother. It will not make the sweeling go down, but it may make it feel better, after 72 hours I would get an ace bandage and wrap it up, only take it off when you go to bed.

Answer 7

Ice to take the swelling away and heat a couple days to get blood flowing to the area quicker for a better healing time

Answer 8

I heard both, do ice first and then like a hour later do heat, then back to ice after an hour... don't remember where I heard it. I think when bf sprained his ankle.

Answer 9

My Dr. recommends alternating between ice and heat. Ice helps to keep the swelling down, but heat helps to relax the muscles and tendons.

Answer 10

I watched a sports medicine show once. Although the inclination is to heat the injury, the proper solution is ICE.