Does Rest and Ice Work? For How Long?

Does rest and ice work?
Let's start with ice. For an ankle sprain, ice works for about 2 days immediately after the injury. So, yes ice works for a little while. It helps contain swelling for those first few days. The best way to ice your ankle is to get a bucket or use a sink filled with ice water. It's freezing, it hurts, but it really works. We suggest 10 minutes on, 20 minutes off. But, after 2 days, do not bother with ice anymore. It will not do much of anything to contain swelling. After this point, you are much better off moving into active rehab of the ankle for best results.

What about rest?
This is a more complicated question. As a general rule, you should be resting your ankle. But, most people do not understand that this does NOT mean to rest your ankle and not do anything. You actually have to actively rehab your ankle for the best kind of results and to properly heal the injury. That means doing good stretches and exercises that strengthen the ankle and help you recover your natural range of motion. If you want to heal right, you have to rest most of the day, but actively work the ankle at least 2-3 times a day to get good results.

How soon should I start to work the ankle?
As soon as possible. Depending on how badly you hurt it, you will want to make sure there is no fracture. If there is, you have to check with your doctor first. But, if there is no break in the bone, we suggest starting up a rehab routine the first day. You do not want a lot of scar tissue and adhesions to develop around the ankle joint. You are still resting most of the time, but you should get in there and start working the ankle.

What if the exercises hurt?
This is a very important question. You do NOT want to do anything (stretches or exercises that hurt). The pain is your body's way of saying I cannot do this yet. But, that does not mean that other exercises and stretches cannot be done if they do not hurt. ANd they should be done. Day by day, you will notice improvements and soon, things you could not do are not painful. This is the correct process of rehab. Go by this guide: soreness is okay, but not pain.

The fundamental problem with rest and ice to the exclusion of all else
If you've used the R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation) method in the past, you already know it is an incredibly slow recovery process. It is likely to take anywhere from 4-8 weeks and in a number of instances up to many months to get your ankle back to health! One of the most important causes is that ice is only useful for the first 36-48 hours. But, the R.I.C.E. method you should carry on icing and resting the ankle for as long as it takes. But, that is not what the body requires for proper healing. Left to recover by itself, the ankle will recover very badly and slowly, considering of the build up of scar tissue, general ligament weakness, neuromuscular damage and lack of motion caused by the injury.

So, what do we recommend?
In our experience, there is one truly complete rehab program out there for anyone who wants to rehab their ankles at home. It does not require any equipment and is extremely effective at fully healing the ankle. In addition, it does this very quickly: most people are walking normally again within a week or two. Obviously, the more severe the sprain, the longer it will take, but we truly recommend this method because of it's time tested proof of getting great results. Click here to learn more about H.E.M. >>