| There is an ongoing debate about whether heat or | | | | But remember that the Inflammation Process traps |
| cold is better for injury like a sprained wrist. It's usually | | | | fluid in the area. So some/all of that new fluid gets |
| the same debate, and doesn't go very deeply into how | | | | trapped there (swelling). One problem of this is that |
| the body works and how hot or cold affects body | | | | cells can actually starve to death because new |
| mechanics. But the unchanging fact is that Injury | | | | nutrition etc, has a harder time finding it's target |
| kicks in an inflammatory response, and heat and cold | | | | swimming through all the extra fluid. |
| both affect it in certain ways. Let's keep it simple. | | | | Temporary benefit is GREAT! Trapped fluid, not so |
| What Happens When You Sprain Your Wrist? The | | | | great. |
| moment injury happens the body kicks in an | | | | What Happens When You Apply Cold? Every |
| Inflammation response. This does three things, it traps | | | | artery is surrounded by a little bit of muscle. When |
| fluid in the area, it tightens muscles to 'guard' and | | | | you put cold on muscle, it contracts (shivers). So |
| 'protect' you from further injury, and it releases | | | | when you apply cold to an injured wrist, the sponge of |
| chemicals which enhance your sensitivity to pain. | | | | your tissue literally squeezes itself. |
| As a side note, in my experience the injury is not the | | | | This squeezing pushes fluid out of the area and back |
| problem, it's the body's response to the problem that | | | | through the return system. And then, when you take |
| takes weeks and months to 'heal'. The key concept | | | | the cold away, the body overcompensates and |
| to dealing with an injury like a sprained wrist is kicking | | | | pushes a lot of new blood to the area trying to warm |
| out the Inflammation Response. Wrist sprains heal | | | | it back up. The result of effective icing is that you get |
| fast, but the defensive response can last for months, | | | | circulatory turnover, meaning the cold pushes old fluid |
| years, and decades. | | | | out and then causes the body to push new fresh |
| What Happens When You Apply Heat? When you | | | | blood back in. |
| put heat on the injured area, blood rushes to the | | | | So which is better for a sprained wrist, hot or cold? |
| area. This is great because this brings in new | | | | Heat ONLY brings new blood to the area (which is |
| oxygen, new nutrition, and various 'healing' factors like | | | | good) but then some/all of that fluid gets trapped there |
| white blood cells and scar tissue (basically). That's | | | | due to the swelling mechanic of Inflammation. |
| why you feel better, feel less pain, when you apply | | | | Cold pushes old blood, waste product, pain enhancing |
| heat. So that's all good because you absolutely do | | | | chemical, etc out of the area AND causes a rush of |
| need oxygen, nutrition, etc, especially at the site of any | | | | new blood, oxygen, nutrition, and healing factors into |
| kind of injury. | | | | the injured area. |