icing my knee question

[anaBROLIC]

my knee is swollen pretty ugly and big. anyone know what the recommendation is for how long to ice at a time. and how often?

[SwoleCat]

Depends on what you did to it really.

However, direct ice (like an ice cup) rubbed over it, usually 8-10 mins. as it's directly on the skin. Ice packs and such, usually 15 mins.

~SC~

[anaBROLIC]

thanks bro. ive just started to research it to see what i can do . it was saying up to 20 minutes at a time. i am also trying to figure out what it could be. looks like its not the acl which is good.

[SwoleCat]

20 mins. I'd say would be totally tops, because you can actually do more harm than good for going for too long.

~SC~

[SwoleCat]

Don't forget to elevate it as well, as that helps to remove the blood from the area.

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[G-1000]

20 mins. I'd say would be totally tops, because you can actually do more harm than good for going for too long.

~SC~

How is that?

[anaBROLIC]

How is that?

it seems like all the article i read said not to ice for more then 20minutes becuase it can cause more harm then good. it didnt exactly say why but they did say frostbite can happen.

[anaBROLIC]

good look SC. i am elevating it. trying to do the best i can. its real stiff, i know it just happend lastnight but i want to know if i should just let it be or try to move it around a little.. i have to go see the orthapedic either today or monday. from what ive read and what they saw on the xray results is i think i sprained the LCL. i will know soon enough if i was right.

[soccer#3]

if u ice it more than 20 mins u can get frost injuries

[dagreek2222]

Hey i've had many injuryies from football and ive torn my acl and all that good stuff.

SO your knee is swolllen and it sore as hell? first off what excatly did you do to it. Also x-rays dont really show anything with legiments if you are in alot of pain and your knee is stiff and feels like a bad sprain you might wanna look into a MRI. When i tore my acl i heard the pop and thought it was just a sprain ended up going back in my knee felt like jello and then came right back out.

After a MRI he pointed out my acl was completely gone. So word of advice if,
depending on what excatly you did and how stiff and how much swelling there is you should look into a MRI.

You should also be taking aleeve through out the day for anti-inflamitory. elevation is good ice 15min on 15min off. Use frozen peas for frozen carrots in the freezer for icing cause it molds around your knee nicely.

I recommend also staying off it as much as possible.

[soccer#3]

i twisted my knee bad during preseason last year and i was out for 2 weeks. luckily it wasnt all too serious. the trainer put me on electric stem and ice for 2 weeks. i came back good.
it gets a lil sore every now and then after a hard leg workout.

[anaBROLIC]

Hey i've had many injuryies from football and ive torn my acl and all that good stuff.

SO your knee is swolllen and it sore as hell? first off what excatly did you do to it. Also x-rays dont really show anything with legiments if you are in alot of pain and your knee is stiff and feels like a bad sprain you might wanna look into a MRI. When i tore my acl i heard the pop and thought it was just a sprain ended up going back in my knee felt like jello and then came right back out.

After a MRI he pointed out my acl was completely gone. So word of advice if,
depending on what excatly you did and how stiff and how much swelling there is you should look into a MRI.

You should also be taking aleeve through out the day for anti-inflamitory. elevation is good ice 15min on 15min off. Use frozen peas for frozen carrots in the freezer for icing cause it molds around your knee nicely.

I recommend also staying off it as much as possible.

ok i am going to go and get an mri. the reason i think it is what it is because i can pinpoint exactly where it hurts and it is right where the lcl is. thats why i think that is whats up. what happend is that i was playing bball and took a big hopstep with the ball towards the left, my left knee twisted and bent forward. i hear a pop and twisting. i pretty much hyper extended it.

[G-1000]

it seems like all the article i read said not to ice for more then 20minutes becuase it can cause more harm then good. it didnt exactly say why but they did say frostbite can happen.

I'm going to have to look into this now. I hat when i dont know Y.

[SwoleCat]

Frostbite, burned skin, and deadening of nerves.

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[C_Bino]

I would go with what Swole said. If its direct ice I would not wanna keep it on long past 10 minutes. Also what he said about elevating it is a good idea. The good old R.I.C.E method (rest, ice, compression, elevation).

I have injured my knee on MANY MANY occasions from dislocated patella, torn ligaments etc and I have learned a few tricks.

I find the two that helped me the most were...
1. Fill a styrofoam cup up with water and put it in the freezer, when its completely frozen you can take it out and tear off about an inch or so from the top so you can hold the cup part (so it doesnt freeze your hand) and still have the ice directly touching your knee. Great trick.

2. Get crushed ice (or just smash some cubes yourself) and wrap it in a towel, then run the towel under cold cold water. Then you can lay it ontop of the area and since its all crushed it conforms to the area you put it over and you can just leave it there and relax for 20 mins.

Good luck with it.

[SwoleCat]

Yeah, those ice cups are the best!

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[needmorestrength]

ice in 20 minute incriments.. best thing to do is use a wet towel and wrap ice in that, it penetrates the skin better and reaches the muscles/ ligaments. Take your time and rest lots too!!