Ice knee how long

To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. Updated visitor guidelines. Top of the page. Topic Overview As soon as possible after an injury, such as a knee or ankle sprain, you can relieve pain and swelling and promote healing and flexibility with RICE—Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.

Rest and protect the injured or sore area. Stop, change, or take a break from any activity that may be causing your pain or soreness. Cold will reduce pain and swelling. Apply an ice or cold pack right away to prevent or minimize swelling. I tried switching shoes, running on grass, etc. Icing seems to help a lot, but I don't know how long I should have it on there.

Is half an hour too long to ice my knee? Cody Carik Bismarck, ND. I asked an orthopedic surgeon friend of mine about your knee. He said there could be some torn cartilage, or your joint surface could be suffering from too much wear.

We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Prevent Frostbite Do not allow ice to sit on the skin without a layer of protection. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign Up. What are your concerns? Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles.

Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Related Articles. Overview of Hip Flexor Muscles and Injuries. Anatomy of the Iliopsoas Muscle. Perhaps you had a linebacker take out on the football field. Whatever the nature of your injury, mental trauma can be just as debilitating as physical trauma.

You may be tempted to do nothing but rest for a long time. Do not let your mind win you over. Complete inactivity can prevent your body from healing as quickly. A long time of complete immobility will lead to weaker muscles and stiff joints. This is where the "O" of optimum loading comes into the therapy regimen.

A physical therapist will give you appropriate exercises to get you moving again. Do what the therapist says, and push yourself a bit. To increase blood circulation, you must do more than just lie flat. You need to raise your knee above your heart. Increased blood circulation means the joint and muscles have more blood and thus will heal more quickly. If you ice the joint, you're eliminating pain and reducing swelling but not facilitating healing.

If you want the joint to heal, elevate it. Find a sleeve or a basic knee brace that compresses the tissue so that the swelling stays down. If you do not have adequate compression, the knee will continue to swell. You need something tight that hugs the joint. With swelling comes pain, and then you'll be back to the same inactivity you had at the beginning of the injury. Knee replacement surgery is an intense, invasive procedure. It requires a big incision, and the surgeon will surgically remove bone and cartilage.

He digs around in the knee to take out the bad tissue and then replaces the tissue with an artificial knee. This machine has a sleeve that wraps around the knee. A tube stretches from the sleeve to an ice machine. The machine then pumps iced water through the tube and into the sleeve, keeping the ice water circulating so the knee is both compressed and iced at the same time.

Because you have the barrier of the sleeve, the question regarding how long to ice knee injuries no longer applies as much.

You can keep the machine on your leg for a longer duration than if you had just a basic ice pack. You will have to wear a knee brace for at least six weeks after you get your knee replaced. Even as you wear a brace, you will want to ice your knee. Compress, elevate, and ice that knee exactly like your doctor tells you to. Once you have an ice machine like this in the house, you will find you can use it in multiple ways.

You can use it when treating arthritis pain in your knee or shoulder. Now that you know how to ice your knee, you can move confidently in your favorite activities. Should you injure your knee, just follow the basic instructions and stay calm. If you're looking for some cold therapy or necessary aids to help with a knee injury, contact us. We'd love to help. Joyce Atkinson October 23, Ed Dezura April 26, How long can I leave the ice bandage machine onto my knee after replacement.

Can you tell me a time frame Thanks you.