gregw
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Posts: 7 
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Post by gregw on Sept 5, 2016 11:34:48 GMT -7
I apologize if this question has been asked before. After a quick search, I didn't find anything so I figured that I would post.
I find that ice water baths for my fingers and elbows after climbing/training is fantastic (in addition to massaging and stretching everyday). Nothing is as effective at keeping the inflammation down and aiding healing. In the RCTM, it says to ice after workouts but is it bad to ice more than that, say daily even on non-training days? I tend to overdo things, so I'd figure I'd ask before overdoing this too! I appreciate any feedback.
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Post by MarkAnderson on Sept 6, 2016 8:40:04 GMT -7
Lots of people ice on rest days. I don't see any problem with it. That said, it's debatable if icing on a rest day is helping you. The research is not conclusive one way or the other, but if you feel like it's helping you, keep doing it.
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Post by Lundy on Sept 6, 2016 9:03:30 GMT -7
My understanding is that the micro-damages you do to your tissues when climbing need blood flow to heal, so there's a tradeoff. It might feel nice to ice to reduce the inflammation, but you're probably reducing your body's ability to heal from the training session. If your inflammation is significant and hindering your ability to function in other ways, then surely the trade-off is worth it, but I would think for most people the super-compensation that comes from the healing of all the micro-trauma that you're doing is more important.
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gregw
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Posts: 7
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Post by gregw on Sept 6, 2016 9:58:40 GMT -7
Thanks Mark, I very much appreciate the input. If the worse that can happen is no benefit, it's worth a try. Do you know if any of the research shows a negative consequence?
Lundy,
Icing does reduce blood flow temporarily but I'm also under the impression that after the tissues warm up following an ice bath, that blood flow temporarily increases above normal levels. I think it's a protection mechanism as the body gears up to protect itself against the "threat" of another icing. The extra blood flow is theorized to aid healing but it seems like the data is inconclusive.
That being said, I have been wondering if inversion therapy would have any benefits towards tendon healing. By hanging upside-down and letting my arms dangle, it's clear that gravity pulls extra blood into my hands. Has anyone ever heard of this being beneficial?
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Post by cirquebound on Sept 6, 2016 10:25:10 GMT -7
That being said, I have been wondering if inversion therapy would have any benefits towards tendon healing. By hanging upside-down and letting my arms dangle, it's clear that gravity pulls extra blood into my hands. Has anyone ever heard of this being beneficial? I guess I am confused? Do you mean to hang your hands above your head then put them back into a resting position? Because arent our arms always being in an "inversion state"? Personally I have really seen benefits from icing my hands after a hard day of climbing well within an hour from the exercise. |
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gregw
New Member
Posts: 7
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Post by gregw on Sept 7, 2016 5:38:28 GMT -7
That being said, I have been wondering if inversion therapy would have any benefits towards tendon healing. By hanging upside-down and letting my arms dangle, it's clear that gravity pulls extra blood into my hands. Has anyone ever heard of this being beneficial? I guess I am confused? Do you mean to hang your hands above your head then put them back into a resting position? Because arent our arms always being in an "inversion state"? Personally I have really seen benefits from icing my hands after a hard day of climbing well within an hour from the exercise. I am saying the opposite. Hang upside down and allow the hands and arms hang below the head and body. It sounds far fetched but in theory would increase blood flow to the arms due to gravity |
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Post by MarkAnderson on Sept 7, 2016 8:54:43 GMT -7
I would think hanging upside down would cause the blood to pool in your forearms/hands. I don't think that would be beneficial, but I could be wrong. Generally in climbing it seems like the problem is getting blood OUT of the forearms, not getting it in (hence we sometimes shake our hands above our heads when pumped). However, that may not be the case on a rest day, when you aren't starting with a pump.
Anyway, I think one of the best ways to easily promote bloodflow is massage.
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