Big dudes in big buckets of ice?!?
July 30, 2011 8:11 AM Subscribe
Why are these big dudes sitting in big buckets of ice?!?
Possibly this is an absolutely silly question --- and it's my very first MeFi question, at that! --- but on the front page of this morning's Washington Post, there's a picture of some Washington Redskins football players sitting in giant Rubbermaid tubs of ice. True, it was over 100 degrees in this area yesterday, but would the weather/comfort alone be the reason? I seem to recall seeing other pictures over the years of other athletes doing this kind of thing, and have never understood why. Thanks!
Possibly this is an absolutely silly question --- and it's my very first MeFi question, at that! --- but on the front page of this morning's Washington Post, there's a picture of some Washington Redskins football players sitting in giant Rubbermaid tubs of ice. True, it was over 100 degrees in this area yesterday, but would the weather/comfort alone be the reason? I seem to recall seeing other pictures over the years of other athletes doing this kind of thing, and have never understood why. Thanks!
Ice baths cool the body. Ice also helps with inflammation.
posted by dfriedman at 8:19 AM on July 30, 2011
posted by dfriedman at 8:19 AM on July 30, 2011
Here's the photo.
NSAID has it. For heat, for swelling, for bruising, etc. Ice baths are pretty rustic these days; you'll find dedicated cryotherapy chambers used for sports rehab.
posted by holgate at 8:20 AM on July 30, 2011
NSAID has it. For heat, for swelling, for bruising, etc. Ice baths are pretty rustic these days; you'll find dedicated cryotherapy chambers used for sports rehab.
posted by holgate at 8:20 AM on July 30, 2011
Ice baths are pretty rustic these days; you'll find dedicated cryotherapy chambers used for sports rehab
Wait, what? Ice baths are still very much used without being "rustic". This isn't rehab, this is trying to cool players down after a practice in the middle of summer. Football teams also have some other resources- they've developed cooling pads that allow a player to be hooked up to a machine that pumps cold water through their pads to cool them, although I'm not sure how widespread that is- but ice baths are still the most effective way for most organizations to cool someone down quickly.
posted by kro at 9:47 AM on July 30, 2011
Wait, what? Ice baths are still very much used without being "rustic". This isn't rehab, this is trying to cool players down after a practice in the middle of summer. Football teams also have some other resources- they've developed cooling pads that allow a player to be hooked up to a machine that pumps cold water through their pads to cool them, although I'm not sure how widespread that is- but ice baths are still the most effective way for most organizations to cool someone down quickly.
posted by kro at 9:47 AM on July 30, 2011
holgate: NSAID has it.
Eponysterical.
Anyway, it may not be a cryochamber but it's cheap, portable, effective, and you can treat more than one athlete at a time without segregating them from the rest of the team. I don't think ice baths are going anywhere; I think they're part of the ritual of team sports.
posted by DarlingBri at 9:49 AM on July 30, 2011
Eponysterical.
Anyway, it may not be a cryochamber but it's cheap, portable, effective, and you can treat more than one athlete at a time without segregating them from the rest of the team. I don't think ice baths are going anywhere; I think they're part of the ritual of team sports.
posted by DarlingBri at 9:49 AM on July 30, 2011
Ice baths are still very much used without being "rustic".
I just meant that "giant tote full of ice" is towards the "bag of frozen peas" end of the scale when it comes to cold treatment, and at the other end, it gets very sophisticated and expensive. The AG2R cycling team has been using a portable cryo chamber instead of ice baths this year on stage races, where there's not much time for riders to recover from a day in the saddle.
posted by holgate at 10:04 AM on July 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
I just meant that "giant tote full of ice" is towards the "bag of frozen peas" end of the scale when it comes to cold treatment, and at the other end, it gets very sophisticated and expensive. The AG2R cycling team has been using a portable cryo chamber instead of ice baths this year on stage races, where there's not much time for riders to recover from a day in the saddle.
posted by holgate at 10:04 AM on July 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: So whether its by old-fashioned tub 'o' ice or new-fangled cryo chamber, the desired result is temporarily shriveling blood vessels? Amazing --- I never would have thought of that; I was leaning more towards guessing it had something to do with heat-stroke prevention or some such! Thanks, all!
posted by easily confused at 11:10 AM on July 30, 2011
posted by easily confused at 11:10 AM on July 30, 2011
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posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 8:13 AM on July 30, 2011 [9 favorites]