Strength in Numbers #138
In the pursuit of optimal throwing arm health, athletes often turn to various strategies, and one long-standing tradition has been the use of ice to soothe and recover.
I grew up in the era of R.I.C.E.
Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation, and man was that the wrong way to go.
If you don’t believe me, the doctor who devised the strategy had the intellectual and professional humility to tell the public that his approach to reducing inflammation and expediting healing with this acronym was wrong.
See the opening to his public announcement below if you don’t believe me.
The Ice Myth: A Brief History
For decades, applying ice to manage inflammation and soreness has been a common practice in sports, including baseball. The prevailing belief was that icing helps reduce swelling and accelerates recovery, leading authority in throwing arm health to challenge this conventional wisdom, urging players to reconsider using ice as a universal solution.
We need three things to heal:
- Blood in
- Blood out
- Muscle Pumping
In a previous article, we go into this in deep detail, but if you cannot get healing factors in, tissue debris out, and pump fluid out of the tissue’s cells, there will be pain and swelling.
The Inflammation Paradox
Contrary to popular belief, inflammation is crucial to the body’s healing process. Overly suppressing inflammation through excessive icing might hinder the natural repair mechanisms and potentially delay recovery. Instead, a nuanced approach that addresses the root causes of inflammation is advocated.
One thing that helps increase blood flow to muscles and fluid pumping from tissues into our lymphatic system is rhythmic contraction, which I recommend following heavy throwing days at the end of all training.
Icing and Muscle Tightness
While providing a temporary numbing effect, icing may contribute to muscle tightness in the long run. In our MLB Habits Course, we review the importance of circulation, how to promote it, and how to preserve it to maintain strength, optimal muscle flexibility, and recovery for throwing athletes.
The Circulatory Impact
Blood In – Blood Out. We are not talking about gangs here. When you ice, you take your blood vessels, which should be flowing like a garden hose, and squeeze the life out of them, which reduces healing factors from getting in and trapped fluid from getting out. Ice slows blood flow and will ultimately slow down the healing process.
A Holistic Approach to Recovery
A holistic approach to throwing arm recovery that includes active rest, targeted exercises for strength and soft-tissue care, proper nutrition, and hydration.
The ArmCare platform emphasizes individualized care. Without the technology, you may never know you have a recovery or fatigue problem until you stick a needle and knife in your arm.
The platform encourages athletes to understand their bodies, listen to signals of discomfort, and tailor recovery practices accordingly.
If you are hungry for more education, see our latest social media live AMA that we put out on how to recover your throwing arm to the max.
After getting some pointers, dive deeper and take our MLB Habits course, which lays out the Great 8 Process…the eight necessary steps to fine-tune your body to maximize performance and add to durability.
While icing has long been a conventional go-to for athletes, our company urges baseball players to evaluate its role in their throwing arm recovery critically and to have conversations with coaches, clinicians, and other high-performance specialists to determine how you can win at restoring and regenerating your throwing arm.
If you have teammates who wrap their arms in ice and look like Frosty the Snowman after pitching – STOP THEM BEFORE THEIR ARMS MELT.
To gain an edge on your competition, keep your learning valve on.
The greatest gift is not knowledge but wisdom, as avoiding mistakes, such as a long-held belief in chronic icing, will lead you to competitive breakthroughs if you are one of those who listen and apply the information.
