Ice Bag Therapy

Treatment of minor muscular injuries such as sprains, bruising or strains needs to include ice therapy, according to the Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Training. Ice therapy has been a long-standing practice in the field of athletic training and has shown to me effective at controlling and treating minor muscular trauma, according to D.C. Mac Auley's review of research appearing in the July 2001 edition of the "International Journal of Sports Medicine." There are several steps you should take to maximize the benefits of ice bag therapy; however, there are important factors to consider before using ice therapy.

Packing Ice

The size of the ice is important for the application of the ice bag to the injured part of the body. Using big ice in a bag will limit the surface area between the cold bag and the body part being iced. Ice should be broken down into small pieces with a moderate amount of cold water for the most effective use. The liquid and small pieces will allow the bag to better conform to the body part being iced, while the thermal conduction of the water will better facilitate a change in temperature of the underlying muscle tissue according to Mac Auley's research. Furthermore, wrapping a wet towel around the foot will increase the temperature drop in the muscle being iced.

Compression

The Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine also recommends compression of the injured muscle. While this may not be practical for all injuries, body parts such as your hands, feet, ankles and knees can easily be compressed. With the towel and ice bag on the target area, wrap a sports wrap tightly around the injured body part to secure the ice bag and towel to that area. This binding will further increase the transfer of heat from the injured tissue to cold ice pack.

Benefits

The use of ice and compression has several short- and long-term benefits for treating acute muscle injury. Cooling the muscle will act as a mild analgesic and reduce the feeling of pain in the injured body part. The ice pack will also cause the blood vessels in the area to get smaller, which will prevent fluid being diverted to the muscle, keeping swelling down. The cold temperature will also naturally keep the muscle in a smaller state. Icing on and off, intermittently, will allow blood to flow into and out of the muscle more rapidly. This will facilitate a greater transfer of nutrients into the muscle and speed up the recovery process as well.

Health Considerations

Prevent direct contact between the ice and skin, because this can cause injury to the skin. Icing a body part may be extremely painful for some individuals; therefore, you should check your tolerance level by gradually increasing the pressure and lowering the temperature of the bag to see if icing may be painful for you. Avoid icing near the chest because of the location of the heart and its sensitivity to the cold. Individuals with high blood pressure should also avoid icing because it can cause a drastic increase in blood pressure in the vessels that will become constricted from the cold.