Inflammation good, ICE bad?
The Globe just ran an article citing a study that suggests that inflammation may be the body’s way of healing an injury and we shouldn’t mess with it.
Upon reflection, I’d have to say I agree. If the body wants to do something in order to heal itself, I say let it do it. Most of what we humans do in such a situation is done so we can get back to a desired activity, whether it’s work or the next game in the tournament. Does a therapy really help the healing process, or just alleviate the symptoms so we can get back in the game?
Standard disclaimer: I’m not any kind of medical practitioner, nor am I a fitness professional. I’m just a guy on the internet with an opinion who hopes that people start asking questions and finding the most natural way to do things with their bodies, whether it goes with or against established practice.
I agree. I have known for some time that injured areas of the body accumulate fluids as a way to help the body get better. In fact, I even remember Mom’s oncologist telling me that the reason Mom’s pleural space filled with fluid (while she was dying of lung cancer) was because the body was trying so desperately to heal itself. (Of course, in the instance of this kind of pleural effusion, the fluid contains cancer cells and it doesn’t actually work.)
Our bodies are remarkably resilient and, I believe, work on a cellular level in ways we have yet to comprehend. My only questions relating to the article are: What made us think that swelling at an injury site is a bad thing? And: Why don’t we (meaning, ordinary and world-class athletes alike) _listen_ when our body is trying to say “Please, stop”?
1) “What made us think that swelling at an injury site is a bad thing?”
Because it comes with pain, and distortion of our bodies. We want to get back to normal, and those two are not normal.
2) “Why don’t we (meaning, ordinary and world-class athletes alike) _listen_ when our body is trying to say “Please, stop”?”
Because we want to be in control of it: the master of our body, the master of nature. And sometimes it’s just another tool to achieve our ends.
Thanks for the perspective on your Mom.