Ice down

Ankle sprains -- a very common sports injury. It is considered an "acute" injury as it happens suddenly and causes immediate pain. Get ice on the injured area as soon as possible. Ice will reduce pain and inflammation. Ice is a vaso-constrictor which causes the blood vessels to narrow and it limits internal bleeding to the area. Think of ice in the same thread as a firefighter getting containment on a fire..calming it down.

Frozen tip; Freeze 3-4 dixie cups of ice and keep in your freezer. These dixie cups are great for ice massage to a injured body part or for the comfort of soothing ice.

Peel back the dixie cup so that the ice is exposed to the air. Make it look like a push up pop. Hold the dixie cup upside down and you can ice massage the area with ease. Direct ice allows for deeper penetration to the injured area.

The direct cold ice may be challenging to tolerate but your body will adjust in a couple of minutes. Ice for 8-10 minutes at a time 3-4 times a day and increase your intake of essential fatty acids until inflammation is controlled.

DB