Acute Pain

A twisted ankle, a pulled muscle, a hard fall — acute pain arrives fast and demands attention right away. Cold therapy has long been the go-to first response for these kinds of sudden injuries, and the science behind it is solid.

When you apply cold to an injured area, a few important things happen at once. Blood vessels constrict, which slows circulation to the site and limits the swelling and tissue damage that would otherwise follow. The drop in tissue temperature also acts as a local anesthetic, dulling pain signals before they reach the brain. And by reducing metabolic activity in the injured tissue, cold therapy helps preserve cells that might otherwise be lost in the hours after an injury.

This is why cold therapy is most effective within the first 48 hours of an acute injury — the sooner it's applied, the better it works.

Two people sitting on a path in a park, while the man on the left is holding onto his ankle in pain.

For decades, the standard guidance for acute soft tissue injuries was RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. Sports medicine has since evolved that thinking. The current preferred approach, known as POLICE (Protection, Optimal Loading, Ice, Compression, and Elevation), incorporates the same cold therapy principles while also recognizing that controlled, gradual movement tends to support faster recovery than complete rest.

Research published in the Turkish Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery (2023) found that the POLICE protocol provided earlier recovery and faster return to normal function compared to the traditional PRICE protocol for acute ankle injuries. PubMed Central

Cold therapy remains central to both approaches — an essential tool for managing pain and swelling in those critical first hours and days.

Man relaxing on a blue couch using the Polar Active Ice® knee & joint system on his knee in a living room setting

Using heat before activity, cold after.

One helpful guideline worth knowing: if you're living with a chronic condition but experience acute flare-ups or discomfort after exercise, the recommendation is to apply heat before activity to loosen joints and improve flexibility, then switch to cold afterward. Cold therapy after movement helps prevent the new inflammation that activity can bring on — a practical strategy for staying active without paying for it later.

A note on safe application.

Cold therapy should never be applied directly to bare skin. Always use a cloth, sleeve, or wrap as a barrier between the cold pack and your skin, and limit sessions to around 15 to 20 minutes at a time.

Many of our products are FSA and HSA eligible, making drug-free cold therapy an affordable first-line option for acute pain management.

The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult a licensed healthcare practitioner before using any hot/cold therapy or body cooling product for a medical condition.