4 ms·

Chronic inflammation worsens chronic illness. Acute inflammation is generally good. Ice should only be applied when the swelling is cutting off blood flow

• catoc 7y ago
  Acute inflammation severely increases damage after moderately severe ischemic stroke [in rats], which can be prevented by blocking the acute inflammatory response. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5257154_Interferon-Beta_Prevents_Cytokine-Induced_Neutrophil_Infiltration_and_Attenuates_Blood-Brain_Barrier_Disruption https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5257154_Interferon-...
  • huffmsa 7y ago
    Generally being the operative word. There are certainly cases where it's harmful.
    • catoc 7y ago
      And I thought it was interesting to provide such a counter example :-) HN generally appreciates factual knowledge
• manmal 7y ago
  Ice baths seem to speed up recovery after exercise. But, the mechanisms by which this works are likely not limited to stopping inflammation.
  • huffmsa 7y ago
    There's actually little research that they do, beyond placebo. It works a lot better in animal trials than with humans. Probably because of differenced in our ability to actively cool ourselves. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/46/4/296 https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/46/4/296