Last fall I partially tore my MCL. Patiently rehabing was awful. All I wanted
to do is get back on the soccer field. This thought made me think of an important lesson to share about injuries. The general rule of thumb is when someone is recently injured it is important to use ICE... NOT HEAT. When you bruise or strain a muscle or ligament the injury will swell. Once swelling pushes into the injury it starts to inhibit blood flow and normal movement in the muscle. The muscle will imobilize and can not get the healthy circulation and important nutrients it needs from the blood to heal itself. This is why ICE is important because ice helps to push out the swelling in the injury allowing normal blood flow to the injured area.
The more you ice, especially initially, and the more you can push out the swelling the better. 20min on, 20 min off, repeat. Invest in your recovery and you will recover faster!
Don't apply heat until the injury is healed and you only need it to loosen up!
