If you’re not following AE Wellness on Facebook, you may have missed my newest weekly segment, Anatomy with Alex. Each week, I spend anywhere 20-30 minutes talking about a seemingly complicated body concept to help make it relevant and practical for you. Whether it’s shoulders, breathing or why you shouldn’t be icing, it’s been covered on Anatomy with Alex! (I’m also open to suggestions, so be sure to scroll down to the comments and let me know what you want to see covered on a future episode).
In this episode, I covered icing – specifically icing after injury. I don’t think that most people really understand the underlying reason of why they are icing and how it is affecting the tissues (and the issue).
Watch and learn:
- What is involved in the inflammation process and how icing inhibits it.
- What happens in chronic inflammation (inflammation present for more than 10 days)
- Why icing in the first 48 hours is the most effective
- How icing affects the tissues to decrease pain and swelling
- Why bracing and immobilizing can do more harm than good if not absolutely necessary
- When you should start a rehabilitation program post-injury and basic guidelines for what it should include
- Why rehab is important (don’t just carry on like you always have post-injury!)
- Why the VooDoo Floss Band (or something similar) is a better tool for improving proprioception, range of motion and restoring the sliding surfaces of tissues.
Make sure you tune in to my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/aewellness) every Wednesday at 3:15pm PST for regular installments of Anatomy with Alex!
Lingering questions? Post them in the comments below and I’ll answer them!
PS – want your own Skelly Kapowski? This is the exact skeleton I use in all my videos: http://ebay.to/2hPa6Rz
- December 17: FREE Yoga Tune Up® Class at Athleta (Pasadena, CA)
- January 6: FREE Roll + Relax at Athleta (Pasadena, CA)
- January 14-15: Treat While You Train at 24 Hr Fitness (Kissimmee, FL)
- January 21-22: Treat While You Train at 24 Hr Fitness (Walnut Creek, CA)
- February 3-5: YTU Integrated Embodied Anatomy Training (Poulsbo, WA)
Thank you for the video re: icing. How about icing for Achilles tendonitis? Mine is chronic now. It feels fine until I run more than 5-6 miles. Tried icing, but it always comes back after a long run. What else can I do to help it “heal”?
Hi Frances,
Thanks for your question! I’d definitely enlist the help of a coach or therapist in your area who can watch you run and move. It sounds like something in your movement pattern is causing continual stress on the Achilles, which then leads to the inflammation. It could also be weakness from the feet, which would load extra pressure into the Achilles. While not the only solution, these calf raises may help you to build strength through the foot and ankle, which can offset some of the strain on the Achilles: https://youtu.be/8Tg_AMdduKI. Good luck!
Are there any contraindications for vodoo flossing?
Awesome presentation!
Thanks,
Angi Bloom