Icing injuries

[Drew07]

Hi Rip,

I have a few questions, but they span very different topics so I'll create a few threads if that's okay.

My first question is about the conventional wisdom to rest, ice, compress and elevate injuries. It just doesn't make any sense to me to try to prevent or interfere with the body when it is trying to respond to injuries.

Why would we want to restrict blood flow to an injured area of the body? Why would we want to rest when, within reason, movement is a better prescription? Is compression a good idea? Again, it seems it would interfere with the body's mechanisms of recovery. And elevation? To prevent blood flow to the area? That doesn't sound like a great idea either.

Am I in the wrong here? That this is counterintuitive? It seems about as logical as restricting calories after training.

[Mark Rippetoe]

It's just what Physical Therapists do.

Is Physical Therapy Fraud? | Mark Rippetoe