Request An Appointment
No matter what the injury is, our first instinct is to attempt to ease the pain. Using heat or ice to the injured area can be useful to reduce pain, but how do we decide which to use? Heat and ice work differently to treat injuries, and the effects they have on our bodies can provide clues as to which is most appropriate to treat YOUR pain.
ICE reduces pain, inflammation, and edema/swelling by constricting our blood vessels and reducing blood flow. Additionally, ice reduces muscle spasm and metabolic demand. Ice is therefore best for acute injuries (less than 4 weeks) such as bumps and bruises, muscle strains, ligament sprains, overuse injuries, or acute joint pain. To safely apply ice use a towel or other barrier between your skin and the ice for protection as ice can actually burn your skin. There are no set rules for how long to apply ice, but 10-15 minutes is long enough.
HEAT increases blood flow, metabolism, and elasticity of connective tissues such as muscles and joints. Heat is best used for chronic pain, muscle soreness, tight joints or muscles, and once acute swelling has gone. One thing you want to avoid is using heat within the first few days of injury, because applying heat can worsen the inflammation and your pain. Safely applying heat is like applying ice: utilize a protective barrier between the heat source and your skin for 10-15 minutes. Avoid falling asleep with heating sources to avoid burns or other skin irritation.
Want to learn more about this topic? Visit these websites below:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269767537_Mechanisms_and_efficacy_of_heat_and_cold_therapies_for_musculoskeletal_injury
https://www.hss.edu/article_ice-or-heat.asp
