Hot and cold therapy

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Hot and cold therapy is highly recommended in the treatment of many injuries, and is a standard routine for many athletes.  This article gives a brief overview of how and when to use hot or cold therapy.

Heat Therapy

Heat therapy is good for increasing flexibility in tight muscles, and reducing muscle spasms.  Heat draws blood into the tissues, delivering oxygen and nutrients and removing cell wastes.

Cold Therapy

Cold therapy can also be used to alleviate muscle spasms, reduce swelling, kill pain and lower metabolic activity.  Cold therapy slows the circulation which reduces swelling, and deadens nerve cell activity, giving pain relief.  Often people who use cold therapy require much less pain relief medication.  However, sometimes the pain relief can be so effective that you may be enticed into returning to the activity that caused the injury too soon!

Ice packs should be applied for 10 to 20 minutes at a time, but the skin temperature should be allowed to return to normal between applications.  Ice packs should not be left on the skin for too long, especially if the area has little fat (e.g. the toes).  The cold can eventually stop blood flow altogether, causing frostbite.  For this reason it is best to wrap ice packs in a towel before use.  Cold therapy will cause the skin to pass through a number of stages – feeling cold, burning, aching then going numb.  It should be stopped if the skin feels numb.

It is best to apply ice immediately to an acute injury.  Some chronic injuries can also benefit from icing, but always ice after using the affected muscle or joint, never before.

The RICE strategy is commonly used in treating strained muscles:

R – Rest – Rest the affected muscle- no exercise and no stretching.

I – Ice- Apply an ice pack for 10 to 20 minutes every couple of hours (while awake) for the first 48 hours after the injury.

C – Compression – Keep the muscle firmly bandaged for the first 2 days.

After resting the muscle for a few days, one should start to stretch it.  Use a warm gel pack to first heat the area, then stretch the muscle gently a few times.  Do not return to the sport until there is no pain and you have free movement of the affected area.

Caution

Hot or cold therapy should not be used on people who have circulatory problems, who are unconscious, who cannot feel or respond to cold (e.g. in paralysis) or who are allergic to cold (some people develop skin reactions).  During hot and cold therapy, care should be taken to not burn the skin – always use a towel or cover between the source and the skin.

Be Prepared

Always keep a gel pack on hand – preferably one in the freezer and one for heating.  You never know when you may have to ice down an injury!  Flexible-when-frozen gel packs are ideal for this application.

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This information is provided for informational purposes only. Neither it nor the products sold here are designed to diagnose, treat, or cure any problem. You should contact your physician for further information, diagnosis, testing, or advice.