The Ice Massage

October 12, 2008 at 5:54 pm | Posted in Injury, Product Review | 4 Comments

I’m tired of studying, which is good for you because…

You get to learn how to do an Ice Massage!

Exciting, I know. I’ll wait while you calm down.

Mr. Magic Hands taught me this icing method. It’s brutal, let me tell you.

• Fill a paper cup (or several) with water. Freeze until completely solid.
• Tear the top of the cup so that the ice shows beyond the paper.
• Rub injured area with ice. I haven’t been able to do this longer than 10 minutes yet. I rub rapidly over my entire foot without leaving the ice on one area too long, which I’m pretty sure is dangerous.

This method is also great for large areas of pain that may not be covered by a single ice pack, such as the shins.

Of course, I can’t always sit around icing, so sometimes I hobble around the house like this:

That’s my CVS ice pack underneath my foot to ice the plantar fascia and a bag of frozen broccoli on top. I wrapped the ice pack’s band around the broccoli to hold it in place. Works like a charm and allows me to blow dry my hair and ice at the same time.

Generally, you should ice for 15-20 minutes. Doing this immediately after exercise is best, but if you’re really hurting, do it several times throughout the day as well.

By the way, I’ve been using the Biofreeze gel that the podiatrist gave me, and I’m officially recommending it. That stuff is amazing. I daresay it may be even better than Absorbine *gasp!*.