Why does ice reduce swelling?
In: Other
A lot of the responses here reference vasoconstriction as the reason why ice reduces swelling, but that doesn’t really explain how fluid returns to vasculature, it just prevents further swelling. There’s little evidence that shows ice actually has an effect on edema:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5300735/
It does slow nerve conduction, so it kinda feels like it hurts less. It also does slow cell metabolism, but that also doesn’t promote ecf return to vasculature.
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