Rethinking The Ice Pack

When it comes to injuries—especially sprains and strains—the go-to response is often to grab an ice pack. As a youth basketball coach, I see it all the time. Every season, I’m handed a ball bag with a handful of ice packs at the bottom. A jammed finger? Ice it. Rolled ankle? Ice. Sprained knee? You guessed it—slap some ice on it.

We rarely question this approach. Ice feels nice, it numbs the pain, and it’s a natural pain reliever. In fact, I’m not knocking its use in the moment, especially for kids. I’d much rather they grab an ice pack than reach for painkillers for relief.

Is ice really that nice long term?

But here’s the thing—once the game is over, relying on ice and the traditional RICE method (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) isn’t the best way to promote long-term healing. Even Dr. Gabe Mirkin, the creator of the RICE protocol, has since retracted his recommendation. According to Mirkin: "RICE can decrease symptoms but is unlikely to improve your recovery time significantly. There is no definitive research proving its effectiveness."

Why? Because research now shows that icing and immobilizing an injury can actually slow the healing process. Inflammation in the acute stage—right after the injury—gets a bad rap, but it’s actually a key part of healing. Think of inflammation as your body sending extra medics to the battlefield. By reducing inflammation prematurely, we may be interfering with the body’s natural repair process.

So, what’s the alternative? Instead of focusing on icing and immobilizing*, we should encourage movement, compression, elevation, and even heat (as tolerated). These approaches work with your body’s natural healing mechanisms rather than against them. Movement, for example, helps promote blood flow, which delivers oxygen and nutrients to the injured area. Compression and elevation control swelling without completely cutting off the body’s inflammatory response. Heat can also aid by increasing circulation and loosening tissues.

The bottom line: Ice may feel good in the moment, but it shouldn’t be the star of your long term injury recovery plan. Instead, let’s trust the body's natural healing processes and focus on methods that actively support a speedy recovery.

*Sometimes rest and immobilization are necessary given the severity of the injury