Since I have been R.I.C.E.ing my life away lately, I figured I could do a review of some of the items I use in my quest to rest-ice-compress-elevate. Most of these you may have heard about, but there could one or two gems that will help you get through a running injury. Well, maybe not the mental anguish part. I kid, I kid. Prozac works for that. Gotcha again! Ain’t I a stinker?
Speaking of stinker, I love me some Tiger Balm. It smells like every other menthol product out there but the cute little tiger on the bottle makes me feel better. It’s pretty strong stuff and it’s very inexpensive. I’m sure I posted about it before, but it’s worth mentioning again.
I wear it so often that my co-worker made a PowerPoint presentation about it. My HTML skills aren’t that great so I have no idea how to post it. Basically it was a bunch of photos of Tiger Balm and people who look like this guy:
Yeah, it’s not exactly the most delicious smelling stuff. But damn if it doesn’t feel good.
I’ve also been using various forms of ice. I’ve used bags of frozen peas, buckets of ice water, good old fashioned ziplock baggies of ice and various other cold items. Unfortunately, Lloyd has been suffering through all of this and sleeping next to my legs instead of my cold feet.
The best store bought cold therapy I use is this guy from CVS:
As shown in the photo you can wrap it anywhere and it’s reusable. I’m pretty sure the Redhead uses it as does Speedy Jess. It stays cold for a good period of time and the velcro helps it stay on. Now that I look at the picture I feel kind of bad for that lady with it wrapped around her neck. Ouch!
I also tried out these CVS brand “peas.” Meh. They were ok. Not as good as a real bag of frozen peas because the weight of them isn’t the same.
Last but not least in my quest to R.I.C.E. a co-worker told me about these ankle braces that she and her skating buddies wear. Apparently they are good for hiking and skating but I figured they would be just as good for running. And wouldn’t you know it? They are! They come in three different thicknesses depending on what you need. Please check out the website
here because they also offer some other items that could come in handy for the lot of us.
I really like the fact that they are thin enough to fit in my running shoes and while they aren’t super tight like a regular brace they do offer additional support.
This is the ankle bootie:
And there you have it. B.o.B.’s R.I.C.E.ing secrets. I bestow them on any of you having a stupid injury.
Speaking of injuries, Old Wonky seems to be at bay and I’m happy to report I ran yesterday morning and this morning! While I’m not putting up the big numbers yet, it seems that I may be able to pick back up training for MCM. Keep your fingers crossed!
Happy Hump Day.
I guess I'm just old-school. I use real ice and real rest. I have a thousand ACE bandages from previous mishaps…….. Hey, is that Ben-Gay I smell?
I hope you're on the road to recovery! My favorite ice trick is a hot water bottle that has a mixture of water and rubbing alcohol in it. It never freezes all the way, stays kind of slushy so that it can mold easily to the injured area. It's always in my freezer just waiting to be used. Good luck!
Oh, I forgot! I've also been using some essential oils on my hip that has seemed to help. Pretty stinky as well, but oh well. Lavender and mint oils to be exact!
A funny story — I injured my Achilles tendon several years ago. I was icing the heck out of it. Ummm, there isn't any muscle or fat back there, so a little goes a long way. Well, I figured I would just numb it with a super cold water/alcohol icepack. Mission successful. Well, too successful. I actually gave myself a minor frostbite. The back of my ankle and Achilles was numb for a week. It was freaky.
Cryo-cups and Biofreeze are my faithful friends in my endless battles with ITBS, PF, and general leg soreness.
I used to use Tiger Balm, but finally took pity on my wife and switched to something a bit less fragrant.
I love the smell of tiger balm – yeah, I'm crazy like that 😉 Glad you're starting to run again!
Tiger Breeze!!! 🙂
I def rock the CVS ice packs! I have 2 and bought Spike one for his birthday. I'll probably have to pick up a few more though since we're falling apart around my house.
Get better Boo! We can't both miss out on our fall marathons!!! This year I take one for the team and you go run yourself a PR k?
I use that Tiger Balm once in a while. It makes my cat VERY curious about me!
i love topricin and peaceful mountain which are all natural topical creams… makes me feel warm and fuzzy to know there aren't any weird chemicals
That reusable cold pack looks like a good choice. I'll have to be on the lookout for that next time I'm at the store.
dang yo. you are the riceing queen. i hope all this knowledge pays off and you can leave those packs at home soon.
I hope this is one of those blog posts that I never have to use. Take care of yourself B.o.b!
wow great post, I learn more things about therapy products and more.