"New ice? What's behind all this?" This was exactly what we thought when we first came into contact with MEDIVID.
We were immediately informed about this by our newly acquired premium partner: MEDIVID's cooling bandages not only manage to combine all the positive effects of cooling measures, they even supplement them with the extremely valuable benefits of compression. At the same time, this type of bandage can reduce side effects or application errors, which we know from improper use of ice or cool packs, to a minimum. And the best thing for us as a mobile physio team: MEDIVID CRYO does not require pre-cooling in the refrigerator or cool box.
“But why should I as an athlete resort to cooling at all?” Here we will highlight the three most important aspects:
- For improved regeneration
- As an immediate measure in case of injury
- As an accompanying measure in case of overload complaints
1. Faster and more efficient regeneration with cooling
After intensive exertion, the body usually needs 1-2 days until it is one hundred percent efficient again. This phase can be accelerated if the measures for regeneration are taken as soon as possible after the sporting strain. Doctors speak of the "magic half hour" after the strain, during which regeneration should already begin in order to shorten the recovery time.
An effective way to shorten this time noticeably is cooling. Jan-Niklas Droste (former professional cyclist and team doctor of the German professional team Bora-Hansgrohe) says about this: "After the intensive exertion it is so that various metabolic products have accumulated in the muscle and smaller inflammatory stimuli are present, and by cooling we try to reduce these and thus accelerate recovery".
The cold causes the muscle membranes to contract, small inflammatory processes are directly prevented. By treating micro injuries before they become a more serious problem, unwanted breaks in training and competition can be prevented. Low temperatures also mask possible pain and prevent unwanted fluid retention.
Regenerate and effectively prevent sports injuries
Those who regenerate optimally are efficient for the next day of competition and in the best case still have reserves when it comes to the whole thing. With efficient cooling and thus sufficient regeneration, athletes are well prepared for the hard time on the last stages or tournament games.
In addition, injuries are prevented because inflammatory stimuli and micro injuries to muscles, tendons and ligaments are effectively combated.
2. Cooling as an immediate measure in case of injuries
Anyone who suffers a sports injury needs quick, acute help. Doctors talk about the critical first few minutes, during which it is important to ensure optimal first aid. If the right decisions are made during this time, the consequences of an injury can be minimized and the regeneration time shortened.
The well-tried RICE method (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) has been repeatedly criticized for several years. Certainly, ice, if used incorrectly, can also have negative effects on the healing process. However, MEDIVID has long recognised this and has developed suitable products precisely for this case. Our own experience in the treatment of injured athletes shows a clear advantage in the use of the RICE method, in that the healing process is faster if applied correctly. Bleeding can be limited locally and tissue damage can be minimized.
The only thing that can be disputed, in our opinion, is the order of the individual fields of the RICE method, which puts resting in first place. In our opinion, the central goal should be to stop a potential bleeding as quickly as possible and accordingly apply local compression over the injured area. With cooling bandages, compression can be combined with efficient cooling without losing time. In our eyes, this is what fast and efficient first aid for trauma looks like.
Inefficient cooling methods for injuries
We can observe this often enough - in the national league as in the Champions League: a footballer lies on the ground holding his aching ankle. The team doctor runs onto the field and causes a spontaneous healing with ice spray. In short: if it hurts, ice helps. That's what we have learned and we imitate this behaviour because we believe it's the only right way. But in the end, all we do is calm our impulse to act immediately. However, we cannot hope for a therapeutic effect from the fresh breeze from the ice spray can.
Too intensive, shock-like cooling not only causes cold damage to the skin, but also provokes reactive hyperemia. With this effect, the body increases the blood circulation in the cooled region and thus provides counterproductive warming where cold is desired. By means of intelligent cooling, MEDIVID CRYO avoids the undesired counter-reaction of reactive hyperemia and thus enables the cooling to reach where it is needed.
3. Cooling as an accompanying measure in case of overload complaints
Rest is the top priority to promote the healing of overload syndromes such as the runner's knee, achilles tendinitis, or stress fracture.
This does not mean, however, that during the indicated rest period one must wait idly until the complaints have finally subsided. In order to achieve a lasting result, it is important to get to the bottom of the causes of the overuse complaints. Often it is muscular causes, incorrect posture, a too intensive training plan or the wrong running shoes that have caused or at least promoted the irritation.
In our opinion, medical cooling, which consistently combats pain and optimally supports the rehabilitation of irritated structures, should be a supporting component in the therapy support of overuse complaints.
Deep cooling counteracts inflammatory reactions at the site of the irritation; i.e. exactly where the problem is. Since the cold also reaches deep-seated receptors, the need for painkillers can be avoided much more often.
By overlaying pain and inhibiting inflammatory processes to a controlled degree, important conditions for physiological wound healing are created. Gentle cooling instead of shock-like and excessive cold prevents cold damage to the skin. It also prevents the body from working with heat against the sudden cold (reactive hyperemia), thus taking away its effect.
Gentle cooling, which however goes into depth, can therefore optimally use the therapeutic potential of cooling as an accompanying measure in the therapy of overload syndromes.
The MEDIVID CRYO Sport Bundle.
Premium partnership Outdoor Physio & MEDIVID
Thanks to our premium partnership with MEDIVID, we can now supply you and all our customers with the high-quality cooling bandages at our events.
MEDIVID CRYO eliminates all disadvantages of common cooling methods and provides cooling exactly as the body needs it:
- Deep cooling to reach the stressed, overloaded or even injured structures
- Sustainable reduction of swelling and inflammation
- Pain relief by reducing the nerve conduction velocity in the affected area
- Continuous cooling over a period of about 2-3 hours
- Efficient cooling without reactive hyperemia
- No restriction of mobility during cooling therapy
- Ready for use at any time without pre-cooling
- No skin damage due to ice fire or similar
You can find out more about MEDIVID CRYO and its areas of application on the MEDIVID homepage.
In cooperation with MEDIVID
