For ordinary soreness, cool it with the ice

New York Yankees pitcher Ron Guidry ices his arm in what appears to be a baby's bathtub on June 17, 1978, after he struck out 18 Angels batters in a 4-0 Yankees win. AP PHOTO BY RICHARD DREW

When ice is nice

We've discussed the drawbacks of icing the body after a normal, if strenuous, workout. But what about for injuries?

•Ice does have its place. It can immediately begin reducing inflammation of a sprained ankle or other areas that get sore chronically.

•Follow the RICE acronym: rest, ice, compression, elevation.

•Icing, and compressing with a wrap, reduces swelling and pooling of blood around the injured area. Don't use a heating pad or other device after an injury, because this increases blood flow and promotes inflammation.

•Leave ice or other cooling devices on for only about 20 minutes at a time, or until the affected area gets numb.

•Don't ice before a run or other workout; it could tighten muscles further and lead to injury.

Baseball players have always iced their aching elbows, shoulders, knees and ankles, to douse the flames brought by overuse during a long season.

The treatment numbs the pain and reduces swelling in muscles, tendons and ligaments. The photo displays a ritual familiar to players of decades past: That's Ron Guidry, the New York Yankees' ace – Gator, Louisiana Lightning – gnawing on a chicken bone and soaking his valuable left arm in a tub of ice water on June 17, 1978. Striking out 18 California Angels will tire a guy out.

These days you're still likely to see players, mostly the older veterans and the injury-plagued, walking around the clubhouse after a game with a plastic bag of ice attached to an inflamed limb or joint, fastened on by several feet of ACE bandage. That's how far we've advanced: from a tub to a portable wrap.

Just try telling a player that, most of the time, ice is unnecessary after an intense workout.

"If a guy asked me if he should ice, I'd probably say no," Angels trainer Adam Nevala said by phone from Arizona, where the team is in spring training. "All it does is pool that lactic acid and make it more likely to be sore the next day."

Lactic acid is a necessary compound made by the body. During intense exercise, it's the reason why you feel a "burn," and why your muscles don't work as well at the end of a workout as the beginning. Nevala said a few simple aerobic exercises can produce a "pumping effect to get the lactic acid out."

Unless a player has a specific injury, like a sore spot from getting hit by a pitch, Nevala will ask a tired player to hop on the stationary bike or run in the outfield. Since a starting pitcher who just logged eight or nine innings probably wouldn't be too keen to go for a jog after a game, Nevala uses a series of eight exercises developed by Dr. Frank Jobe. Jobe is the orthopedic surgeon who pioneered the "Tommy John" elbow ligament replacement surgery that has extended so many pitchers' careers since Jobe performed it on the Dodgers' John in 1974.

In one such exercise, the player holds light dumbbells (2-3 pounds, since the rotator cuffs in the shoulders aren't designed for heavy lifting) and raises them to shoulder level in front.

"If you can flush all that lactic acid out, getting the bad blood out and the good blood in, you'll potentially be less sore and tight, and have maximum recovery for the next day," Nevala said.

Dr. Chris Koutures, a pediatrician at Children's Hospital of Orange County who also treats many young athletes at his Anaheim Hills practice, says for years people have believed that we should warm up muscles before a workout, and ice them afterward.

"The conventional wisdom is that heat's great for warm-up, because it increases the blood flow. But the science is lacking," he said. Same goes for ice. It helps alleviate some soreness, but persistent swelling after exercise should be evaluated by a physician.

It's also better to stretch after a workout, when muscles are limber and elongated, Koutures said. He agrees with Nevala that light physical activity, including stretching, can be more beneficial. "We're seeing more of that active recovery, not just passive, where you sit on a bench with ice," Koutures said.

Knowing all this, why do some world-class athletes still favor ice? "If you ask them why they ice, they'll say it's 'because I always iced,'" Nevala said.

Nevala sometimes uses a device called Game Ready, a machine that delivers cold at adjustable levels to a sleeve for arms and legs. The user has to sit near the machine, since it's plugged in. "But it's a great device," he said.

The Angels open the regular season April 1 at Cincinnati.

Contact the writer: or 714-796-2221

User Agreement

Comments are encouraged, but you must follow our User Agreement


Programs & Promotions
Business Directory
Ads by Google