This is something I've always ask myself:

What is the best way to be fully functional after a tournament/kumite session ?

I always use the traditional methods: lots of ice and voltaren hehehe.

What do you use?

For me? A long, hot, hot bath/shower, a lot of fluids, and a 10 hour block of time set aside for extra sleep.

Hehehehehe, I really like the sleeping part, but sometimes when you wake up you feel worse. Everything hurts a lot more.

If you hurt more in the morning, repeat the first two. Sleep helps heal faster, heat loosens muscles and increases circulation so that they can heal without dealing with a lot of strain, and dehydration can muck up the works in anything.

I never ice down much, but it may be because I just don't get that beat up. We don't do knockdown or knockout sparring in class, but I do get bruises and soreness from time to time. Still, I just let it go. If my head is hurting, then I'll take some Tylenol or the like.

Does acetaminophen works better for you than aspirine? I have found out that Ibuprophen doesn't work with me

I don't notice that it does. I just take what we have in cupboard, be it ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or neproxem sodium (Alleve).

Ah. just remembered one thing that I find helps.

Jell-o. Lots of Jell-o.

I personally feel it's a good plan to eat plenty of the building blocks of whatever it is that's going to need rebuilding and upgrading. I put some strain on my joints with all the low stances and such, and I want them to be in the best possible condition. I just feel better a couple days out after anything intense if I had gelatin around the time of the intense work; no creakiness.

I used to drink some fruit smoothies as well. Here in Costa Rica fruits are soooo cheap hehehehehe

I didn't know about the gelatin thing. Thanks for sharing it. I tend to have problems with my knees when I really work them up good.