BOBWHITE QUAIL Northern bobwhite quail are diminishing in numbers, due to agricultural practices and development. Preserve hunting has become a popular alternative for bird hunters and their dogs...Read More View All Quail Tips

It's certainly not uncommon for hunters to sprain an ankle or turn a knee. Anybody can experience minor joint injury, and one of the best things you can do to treat this is to apply ice to the joint. Ice cuts down inflammation and reduces swelling and pain. Follow a proper icing therapy after such an injury, and it just may save your hunting trip.

Steve Salyers, an orthopedic surgeon, also is an avid hunter. He's a sports medicine specialist; and he's a big proponent of applying ice packs to treat sprained ankles, swollen knees and other similar joint injuries.

But there's a lot of confusion about using ice, such as how much, and how often?

"The only danger that I've ever seen with ice is frost-bite," says the doctor. "My only concern would be with people with altered sensation, either through poor circulation or diabetes. Beyond that, most of us cannot ice too much."

He relates, "I recall a basketball player, during tournament time, which they actually had one of the athletic trainers stay awake all night long, rotating an ice bag so his ankle never warmed up, following the icing. He was able to come back and play in a couple days. So, in general we're talking 20 to 40 minutes at a time, usually over a sock, so that the cold of the plastic bag is not that uncomfortable. I would do it up to four or five times a day if you have then opportunity."

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