Ice has been a standard treatment for injuries and sore muscles because it helps to relieve pain caused by injured tissue. Coaches have used my coined “RICE”  (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) -term guideline for decades, but now it appears that both Ice and complete Rest may delay healing, instead of helping. In a study, athletes were told to exercise so intensely that they developed severe muscle damage that caused extensive muscle soreness. Although cooling delayed swelling, it did not hasten recovery from this muscle damage (The American Journal of Sports Medicine, June 2013). A summary of 22 scientific articles found almost no evidence that ice and compression hastened healing over the use of compression alone, although ice plus exercise may marginally help to heal ankle sprains (The American Journal of Sports Medicine, January, 2004;32(1):251-261). Healing Requires Inflammation When you damage tissue through trauma or develop muscle soreness by exercising very intensely, you heal by …