At some point in your life you’ve probably used a bag of frozen peas to ease the pain and inflammation associated with an injury. Our parents did it; our grandparents did it. But the use of heat and cold treatments is a little more complex than our ancestors may have realized.
Using heat and cold to treat an injury can be very effective if applied for the correct length of time and frequency, and in the correct order. If not, heat and cold treatments can lead to minor burns in addition to further pain and inflammation in the injured area.
Why use heat and cold therapy?
Ice and heat is effective as a means of not only speeding recovery from an injury or sore muscles but also helping to prevent problems in the first place.
Many long-distance runners will immerse themselves in an ice cold bath as soon as possible after completing a marathon. A little painful at the time perhaps, but this is a great way to reduce the soreness associated with repetitive strain on the joints and muscles.
When to use heat and cold therapy
Cold packs are typically used to reduce pain and inflammation from an injury by decreasing blood flow to the injured area.
Heat therapy will relieve the pain and discomfort associated with trigger points and knots. The heat dilates the blood vessels, which increases blood flow and relaxes the muscles.
Heat and cold treatments can be used in combination if treatment occurs in the right order and for the right length of time. This is where many people slip up.
Applying cold
The sooner ice is applied to a new injury, the less inflammation to the area. The pack should be held on the injured area for no more than 10-20 minutes at a time and regularly over a period of at least 48 hours, or until the swelling goes down.
Be sure to wrap something around the pack so as not to burn the skin. If you feel numbness beyond the pain relief associated with applying the pack, remove it immediately. Repeat this treatment every couple of hours while awake.
Try not to do too much during this period. You should rest as often as possible and keep the injured area elevated.
After the initial 48 hours, check to make sure the swelling has gone down. If not, continue to apply cold treatments.
Applying heat
Heat is typically used to ease stiffness and tension due to repetitive strain, knots in the muscles and poor posture. But it can also be used as a follow-up to cold treatments in the healing of an injury.
Once the inflammation around an injury subsides, heat therapy via an electric heating pad, hot water bottle, heated gel pack, or hot bath will increase the blood flow and tissue temperature of the injured area and allow nutrients to flow to the torn tissue, thereby facilitating healing.
But be warned, if the injured area overheats, the muscles will become sore and stiff leading once more to inflammation. It is therefore essential to limit heat applications to no more than 20-30 minutes in a 90-minute period.
As with the cold pack, it’s important to regularly check the skin to make sure you aren’t burning yourself. A good way to know if the skin is burning is to remove the heat and watch how quickly the redness disappears. If after 20 minutes the redness has gone, you’re fine. If it persists, you may have a minor burn. If the redness is still there after a day or more, you have probably given yourself a first-degree burn. Never place heat on a burn.
The most important thing to remember about heat therapy is to never add heat to a fresh or inflamed injury or the pain and swelling will increase.
Beyond heat and cold therapy
Heat and cold treatments are great for temporary relief of tight muscles (heat) or inflammation around a new injury (cold), however, seeing a registered massage therapist and, if need be, your doctor, are ultimately the best steps to take towards complete recovery.