The inflammatory process is great evidence of our body’s innate intelligence. When required our body will flood an area with fluid that carries all the necessary healing agents for whatever it needs to combat. This inflammatory process will usually hurt and will most often cause the majority of the pain that we feel when injured.
Once the inflammation calms down, our pain is significantly reduced. We often mistake this for the “problem being solved”.
Remember that pain and inflammation are great signs of trauma and damage to the body, but are poor indicators of our level of HEALth. Reducing the inflammation in an area will almost always show some level of pain relief. This can be done artificially through chemical means such as anti-inflammatory drugs or through more natural means such as ice and compression. Remember that the body has created inflammation in an area for a reason, and if we are to try and reduce this symptom, as with everything else in HEALTHcare, it is likely to come with pros and cons. One thing is for certain, it has not corrected the cause of why the inflammation is there in the first place, and therefore has not "fixed" anything at all.
Correcting the CAUSE of the problem allows for stability and adaptation, and prevents the continual occurrence in the future.
This is just as true for "slipped discs" and back injuries as it is for any other trauma. The above photo is actually of my own knee 2 days post lateral meniscus surgery. The ice in this instance was vital!