You need to ice right away when you’re out riding and you do an Ankle Mctwisty, or any other injury. Putting ice on an injury gets your body started on the healing process a lot faster. The sooner you heal, the sooner you can ride!
Proper Steps to Ice a bmx injury
Time needed: 20 minutes.
How to ice a bmx injury
- Get ice pack from freezer
Make sure your ice pack is nice and frozen so it actually works. Remember to store the pack in the freezer when not in use.
- Place pack on injured area
The whole pack should completely cover the injured area.
Example: If your biceps are sore, make sure the ice pack covers the whole are where pain is coming from. - (Optional) Use wrap to keep pack on injured area
When I ice my leg, I like to be able to walk around. So I place the pack on the injured area and wrap ice wrap. This keeps the ice compressed on the area and allows me to walk around.
- (Optional) Elevate injury
If the area is swollen, Ice and elevation are crucial.
I recommend to elevate an injury if it is warm and swollen.
Keeping it elevated (raised above your heart) will keep the blood from pooling. - Leave for 15 Minutes
Keep the ice on the area for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes you will want to put the ice pack back in the freezer.
- Re-ice every 3-4 hours
Constant ice really helps the injury recover. Try to redo these steps every 3-4 hours.
Injury icing frequently asked questions
Only ice for about 15 minutes
I only use it when:
a) the injury is swollen.
b) I want to walk around and do not want the ice to fall.
I mean, its never a bad idea to go to a doctor and get x-rays.
Recover Like a Pro
There are a lot of products available to make this process easier. These are my favorites.
Ice Packs
I have at least 3 of these and all are different sizes for diffferent injuries. Keep them in the freezer and use as needed.
Elevating Leg Rest
This is perfect for an injury on your legs that might be swelling. I use pillows to elevate my injury but this works much better.
Post Surgery Elevating Leg Rest Pillow with Memory Foam Top
