Issue #176: Do NOT Use Ice for Injuries
Good morning. It’s Monday, April 24th.
Today’s Quick Win
Did you miss any of our issues on NUTRITION last week? Catch up on Issues #171 - #175 here.
This week we're focusing on MOVEMENT, specifically recovery and injury prevention.
From the Lab: Do NOT Ice Injured Muscles!
Speed Read: JOMO
Monday Q: How’s Your Body
“Write your injuries in dust, your benefits in marble.”
This issue is for those of us that have, or at some point will have muscle or joint pain. According to the Cleveland Clinic - just about all of us.
From the Lab
All of us athletes (and parents of athletes) know the injuries that come from just about any sport or activity.
And we all know the #1 way to treat the injury - the RICE method:
Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation
Turns out - using an ice pouch on say a pulled calf muscle will actually prolong our time to recovery.
Just like how our skin heals itself from a cut, our muscles have a good way of healing themselves - if we don't get in the way.
The stages of muscle healing are: inflammation, repair, remodeling. (Tonal)
First, we've got to get rid of the damaged tissues/cells. Just like when we get sick with a fever (see Issue #80) - it's our immune system that creates the inflammation at the point of the pain and responds to take out the waste.
These bits of tissue are typically too big to be carried off in our bloodstream so it's up to our other highway - our lymphatic system (a real unsung hero of our body if you ask me).
But ice constricts our lymphatic flow and in some cases can cause it to be permeable so that the waste goes right back to the point of the injury.
So by delaying the first stage of the healing process - we lengthen the entire time being injured. It's like taking ibuprofen - it might temporarily numb the pain, but it's masking the cause and potentially impeding the solution.
After the "waste" is removed, then our body can start the repair process.
What’s the Alternative?
First - heat is always good. Whether it's a heating pad or sitting in a hot tub or sauna, the increase in temp will improve circulation.
This acronym is a little long for me, but I guess it works to create a comprehensive way to think about injury recovery:
What I like about this - it transitions us from being a victim to being a problem-solver.
Instead of thinking "This sucks - my calf hurts and I'm just stuck sitting here with an ice bag" we can reframe it to "what am I feeling and how can I move or use different tools to help my body recover faster."
Watch for more info? Here’s an interview with Kelly Starrett & Gary Reinl.
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Speed Read
Health & Longevity in the News
Active Volcanoes on Venus: In March, scientists confirmed Venus as the 4th body in the solar system with “recent” volcanic activity - Earth, Io (moon of Jupiter) and Enceladus (moon of Neptune) are the others. A team from Washington University in St. Louis (Max’s alma mater) is really helping out future NASA missions. (Big Think)
Is JOMO Real?: JOMO (“Joy of Missing Out”) is possibly the yin to FOMO’s yang. But is it real? A study attempted to better understand JOMO - and the results showed people with higher JOMO also report higher levels of social anxiety - so people who have anxiety of doing things with people, experienced joy of not doing things with people…go figure! Good luck taking that bias out of the next study. (Popular Science)
Soft Upskilling: Understanding body language is extremely important to increase your EQ and helps enrich what the person is telling you. On the flip side, positive body language from you increases trust, helps elevate your viewpoint and creates a positive impression. (Learn more)
Monday Q
How has your body changed in the last 5 years? What are you doing to keep your physical mobility & health?
Product Recs
💪 Hyperice - Max got me a Hypervolt as a bday present this year and it’s been awesome to loosen up my sore muscles after those long training rides and runs! (No affiliation)
☕ Bulletproof - I’m not much of a coffee drinker, but it’s much more than the Bulletproof diet to get the protein and healthy fats we all need
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To health!
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The information in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and may not be appropriate or applicable based on your individual circumstances. Thrive25 Labs LLC does not provide medical, professional, or licensed advice. Please connect with your healthcare professional for medical advice specific to your health needs.