HIs it a useful ally in accelerating healing?
The answer is “no”.
Putting ice on a sprained ankle creates vasoconstriction, which slows down blood flow and increases swelling. What is swelling? This is a build-up of fluid produced during the inflammatory phase, which is intended to clean up the blood from the torn ligament in the area of the injury. This cleaning phase, somewhat similar to the demolition phase of a renovation, produces fluid that gets trapped in the lymphatic vessels. For this reason, wearing a pressure bandage helps to mobilize the swelling during the inflammatory phase.
There are three phases to the healing cycle: inflammation, vascularization and proliferation. How to speed up the healing process? Through movement. For example, in the case of a sprained ankle, pedaling a stationary bike increases muscle contractions that promote the circulation of fluid accumulation from the lymphatic system to the venous system. This phenomenon stimulates oxygen and nutrient rich blood to flow to an injured area and promotes the excretion of carbon dioxide and metabolic waste products.
