Dr. Soppe says the body relies on inflammation caused from a soft tissue injury for the healing process
Article link: Should You Ice and Take Painkillers After an Injury? (health.com)
Summer is a time of activity and movement for many people, but all of those pickup pickleball games and impromptu pool races also raise the risk of injury. If you do happen to pull a muscle or roll an ankle, what’s the best treatment?
While your first instinct might be to reach for an ice pack and over-the-counter painkiller, some medical professionals now suggest that people avoid anti-inflammatories during the early stages of a soft tissue injury.
It means that medical professionals should teach their patients to help their injuries heal naturally rather than rely on treatments such as acupuncture or electrotherapy. The other difference, which is more controversial, suggests that people should “avoid anti-inflammatories” such as icing and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin and ibuprofen.
Why Avoid Icing and NSAIDs?
To make sense of why some experts recommend skipping icing and NSAIDs after an injury, it helps to understand how the body heals.
During a soft tissue injury’s acute or early phase, the body attempts to repair itself through inflammation.
“Historically, inflammation was thought of as being a bad thing,” Clint Soppe, MD, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles, told Health. “But we’ve learned that inflammation is a normal process for healing with acute injuries. We need this inflammatory mechanism and reaction to heal.”
While Soppe said acetaminophen, or Tylenol, may be helpful after a soft tissue injury, he thinks NSAIDs are better. “In my experience, anti-inflammatories are much more helpful in pain control compared to acetaminophen,” he said.
If your injury is minor, the experts said it should be fine to ride it out with the PRICE method and NSAIDs if they seem to help. But if you’re still struggling after a few days, it’s time to consult a professional.
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