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From Fellrnr.com, Running tips
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My personal approach is to apply ice for much longer; often for hours continuously. I find that this produces much deeper healing and I have never had any problems. However, there are a number of conditions that would make this approach dangerous, such as poor circulation, diabetes or arthritis<ref name="x3"/>. You should also be careful about applying ice for prolonged periods at joints such as elbow or ankle; the nerves are closer to the surface. I know some people like to use a compression bandage to hold the ice in place, adding compression to the cooling.
==Frostbite and skin damage==
Damage to cells occurs around -10c/14f<ref name="CellDeath"/>, which is well below the temperature of ice. In fact, the temperature of the skin at were it is in contact with an ice pack is normally about 5c/41f<ref name="IceArea"/>. Animal studies that chilled the skin and underlying fat to between -1c/31f and -7c/19f showed no signs of tissue damage<ref name="CyroMeta"/>.
==Danger - Avoid Gel Packs and Frozen Vegetables==
I use ice in a hefty Ziploc bag rather than gel packs as Gel packs start off too cold, then warm up too quickly. If you use ice, the temperature will remain constant around freezing until all the ice is melted<ref name="x3"/>. If you use gel packs, or frozen vegetables, you risk frostbite.
<ref name="CellDeath">What temperature is lethal for cells? [J Dermatol Surg Oncol. 1979] - PubMed - NCBI http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/110858 </ref>
<ref name="IceArea">The effect of quantity of ice and size of cont... [Physiotherapy. 2009] - PubMed - NCBI http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19627693 </ref>
<ref name="CyroMeta">Cryolipolysis for subcutaneous fat layer red... [Lasers Surg Med. 2009] - PubMed - NCBI http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20014262 </ref>
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