Ice and Injuries, an article, by - Muhammad Raza

 Ice and Injuries - Muhammad Raza

The age-old method for treating any form of cut, tear, injury or just pain has been to put some ice on the area, and for good reason: ice is a household item available to almost everyone, it stops the swelling from spreading around the area, and, most importantly, provides pain-relief. However, in the past few years, sports scientists and doctors have made discoveries that actually question the efficacy of ice on healing injuries, and whether it should even be used anymore. In fact, studies have shown that ice can actually reduce the time it takes for an injury to heal (MUSC Health). Here’s why:

The reason as to why ice can actually be detrimental to healing is because it reduces swelling in the acute area of the injury. Inflammation and swelling, contrary to popular belief, are actually steps in the healing process of an injury, as they are signals for your body to start clearing out and healing the area, and eventually lay down the infrastructure for new, functional tissue. By directly stopping this process, frequent icing can increase the time it takes for your body to heal an injury (MUSC Health). While it does provide pain relief–which, in some cases, may be more desirable than healing–the overall effect of ice is negative.

I can also personally advocate for the fact that ice (or other anti-inflammatories for that matter) can actually delay the healing process. As an athlete who constantly experiences different forms of aches, pains and injuries, I have used ice to try and heal myself. What I’ve noticed is that if I lay-off on icing the area for a day or two and enduring the pain for a little bit, my injury seems to get unexpectedly better the next day. To me, these recent studies regarding how ice can actually negatively impact injuries shows how our body always seems to know what’s best for us, and how things that make sense on the surface may not actually hold true under further investigation. 

Citation:

Thompson, Dakota. “Sports Medicine Monday: The Efficacy of Ice on Acute Injuries.” Advance.muschealth.org, 19 Sept. 2022, advance.muschealth.org/library/2022/september/ice-on-acute-injuries. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.