Ice or Heat?

   This is probably one of the most common questions I get, should I use ice or heat? Well I am a big fan of one, and not so much the other, and it's probably not the one you are thinking.

   Most people have twisted their ankle before. And like most people, you probably put ice on it. Maybe even elevated it. Well let me ask you something, did it not still swell? Unless it was a very minor sprain, the answer is yes it still swelled. So what was the point of putting ice on it? To stop or slow the swelling right? But it still swelled.
   What if I told you that icing it just delays the inevitable and you might as well get on with it so add heat. You see, swelling is part of the body's healing process. So if your ankle is going to get better then it has to swell. Ice may slightly delay that, but why would you want to delay the healing process? You probably want to speed it up. Ice actually slows nerve conductivity and reduces blood circulation. Now it may feel a little better after you numbed it, so I am not saying it doesn't help with pain. But we are talking about recovery. Heat does the opposite, it promotes circulation and nerve activity. Thus speeding up the healing process. So go for the heat, not the ice.