Ice Bag

Acute injuries are often caused by sudden trauma (such as falls, sprains and direct impacts), and are usually accompanied by immediate, severe pain. Ice should be applied straight away – but do you know how to do this correctly?

The benefits of applying ice

1. Pain relief: Applying ice slows down nerve conduction, reduces excitation at nerve endings and raises the pain threshold, thereby helping to alleviate or eliminate pain.

2. Prevention of swelling: Applying ice causes local capillaries to constrict, thereby reducing local fluid leakage and alleviating swelling.

3. Reducing secondary damage: Cold stimulation lowers the local temperature, reduces cellular metabolism and minimises the production of free radicals, thereby mitigating secondary damage to tissue cells.

4. Inhibiting the inflammatory response: Applying ice causes local blood vessels to constrict and reduces blood circulation, thereby lowering the rate of tissue metabolism and suppressing the inflammatory response.

How to apply ice correctly

1. Duration of ice application: Begin applying ice immediately after the injury, repeating the treatment every 2–3 hours. If swelling, pain or heat are pronounced, apply ice every 1–2 hours. Limit each application to 15–20 minutes. It is important to remember that prolonged application can cause reflex vasodilation, which would be counterproductive. Furthermore, as ice therapy works by inhibiting circulation and tissue metabolism, excessive duration hinders the tissue's ability to heal itself from inflammation.

2. Apply ice to the area where the pain, swelling and heat are most pronounced. Taking the ankle joint as an example, centre the ice pack on the area where pain, swelling and heat are most evident; you may move the ice pack slightly during the session to ensure the entire joint is covered. If you have undergone surgery and there is a pronounced inflammatory reaction at or around the wound, focus the ice treatment on that area.

3. Duration of ice therapy: How long should ice therapy be applied for? According to the latest research, the optimal window for ice therapy is within 48 hours; if symptoms are severe, it may even be necessary to apply ice continuously for 72 hours.

4. Ensure full contact with the skin: When using an ice pack, ensure it is in full contact with the inflamed tissue so that the cooling effect can reach the affected area directly.