Ankle sprains are one of the most common sports injuries; they send about a million Americans to clinics every year and cause chronic problems for many.

    The problem is clear, but the first-aid treatment is not: heat or cold?

    Many people swear by heat, saying it soothes the pain and promotes healing by stimulating blood flow. Others advocate ice, precisely because it does the reverse, slowing blood flow and minimizing inflammation.

    According to research, ice wins every time.

    In multiple studies, scientists have compared heat and ice by randomly assigning people who showed up at sports clinics with sprains to receive one treatment or the other, in combination with a pain reliever like ibuprofen. One prominent study found that immediate ice therapy "resulted in earlier return to activity, as defined by ability to walk, climb stairs, run and jump without pain."

    In people with the most severe injuries - including torn ligaments - treatment with ice resulted in a 13-day recovery, compared with 30 days for those treated with heat.

    For the best results, experts recommend the Price method: protection, rest, ice, compression and elevation. They caution that ice should be applied only 20 minutes at a time.

    THE BOTTOM LINE

    Ice is far better than heat for ankle sprains.

    脚踝扭伤是最常见的运动伤害之一；每年都大约会有1百万人因脚踝扭伤走进医院，同时脚踝扭伤还会给许多人造成一些慢性疾病。

    病症这个问题很清楚，但是急救方式却不明确：是该热敷还是冷敷？

    很多人会推荐热敷，说热敷会减轻疼痛并且可以通过刺激血液流动促进愈合。另一部分人提倡用冷敷，正是因为它起到了与热敷相反的作用，减慢血液流动减小红肿。

    根据研究，冷敷的方法每次都会获得胜利。

    在多次研究中，科学家们通过随机指定一些由于扭伤去运动诊所接受一种或多种治疗以及服用这类缓解疼痛药物的病人，对比了热敷和冷敷。一项重要的研究发现了快速的冷敷治疗会让病人更早的恢复活动，明确的说就是没有任何疼痛的行走，爬楼梯，跑跳。

    对于那些有着很严重的损伤的人，包括韧带撕裂，冷敷治疗可以使患者13天恢复，而使用热敷的那些患者却要30天。

    对于最好的结果，专家们推荐廉价的治疗方法：预防，休息，冷敷，按压以及把脚抬高。他们还提醒说冷敷每次需要20分钟。

    结论

    对于脚踝扭伤，冷敷比热敷好得多。