Is it helpful to rinse a sprained ankle with cold water?
Sep 24, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Chen Jian
Introduction
In general, whether rinsing the ankle with cold water is effective after a sprain depends on the time elapsed since the injury. If less than 48 hours have passed since the sprain, rinsing with cold water is usually helpful. However, if more than 48 hours have passed, cold water rinsing is less effective and may even impair recovery. In daily care, it is important to stop any activity immediately after spraining the ankle to avoid worsening the injury.
Generally speaking, whether rinsing the foot with cold water is effective after a sprain depends on the time elapsed since the injury. If less than 48 hours have passed since the sprain, rinsing with cold water is usually beneficial; however, if more than 48 hours have passed, cold rinsing is less effective and may even impair recovery. The detailed analysis is as follows:
If the foot is in the acute phase after the sprain, local soft tissues may experience ruptured blood vessels, bleeding, and swelling. At this stage, rinsing with cold water can cause local blood vessels to constrict, reducing bleeding and fluid leakage, thereby alleviating swelling and pain, and helping to reduce local inflammatory responses.
When more than 48 hours have passed since the sprain, local bleeding and exudation have mostly stopped, and swelling enters the absorption phase. Applying cold water at this point causes prolonged vasoconstriction, impairing local blood circulation and hindering the absorption of swelling and tissue repair, which could potentially prolong recovery time. Therefore, cold rinsing is no longer appropriate under these circumstances.
In daily care, after a foot sprain, one should immediately stop physical activity to avoid worsening the injury. During recovery, keep the affected limb elevated as much as possible, minimize weight-bearing, and perform appropriate ankle joint movement exercises to restore ankle function and accelerate rehabilitation.
