This is the standard recommendation for many injuries. Are there any controlled studies which demonstrate that injuries treated with ice resolve more quickly than without using ice?
The modern view of it seems to be that none of it is needed and can even be counterproductive. Compression can sometimes be useful to reduce swelling. Swelling can be unpractical, but is not bad in itself. Rest, ice and elevation will in general make recovery slower.
Let's stipulate that this reader is an idiot who didn't think to do that before asking. Is there a single reference you can provide from the exhaustive entries?
Is there a single reference you can provide from the exhaustive entries?
I didn't think so.
Though no doubt not as thorough and exhaustive as your putative literature search, this humble reader was able to discover at least a few NIH publications which suggest that the issue is not completely settled. Viz.:
"This review explored the effects of ice treatment upon pain, swelling and range of movement after acute soft-tissue injuries. The authors found little evidence that adding ice to compression increased its effectiveness." [1]
"The aim of this study was to examine the effects of icing soon after muscle contusion injury on subsequent inflammation, angiogenesis, revascularization, and myofiber regeneration. Our study is the first to demonstrate that icing delayed and/or attenuated the expression of proangiogenic factors and changes in vessel volume in regenerating muscle in the first 7 d after injury. Despite these differences, capillary density and the cross-sectional area of myofibers did not differ significantly between the icing and sham groups. These findings suggest that, although icing may mildly suppress inflammation and some aspects of angiogenesis/revascularization, these effects are not sufficient to retard muscle regeneration after contusion injury."[2]
"The use of cryotherapy in the management of acute soft tissue injury is largely based on anecdotal evidence. Preliminary evidence suggests that intermittent cryotherapy applications are most effective at reducing tissue temperature to optimal therapeutic levels. However, its efficacy in treating injured human subjects is not yet known."[3]
