SHOULD I USE ICE OR HEAT? Ice and heat can be very helpful after an injury or when one is having pain, but how do you know which one to use?
Here are some helpful guidelines:
to the area and this also helps to carry away more of the inflammatory chemicals that might be hanging around. Cold also helps to numb a painful area by slowing down the speed of the electrical signals carried by the nerves, so is helpful for pain reduction. Always place a layer of fabric between your skin and the ice to avoid frostbite that damages the skin. Heat works in the opposite way. Heat dilates the blood vessels which allows more blood volume and also stimulates blood flow to the area. Because the blood vessels are open wider, the blood does not move through the area quite a quickly, so some of the fluid contained in blood can leak into the tissues. That is why it is not usually recommended right after an injury or if swelling is a problem. Cold stiffens the muscles and tissues while heat softens them. If pain is coming from restricted blood flow due to muscle tightness or spasm, stress, or chronic arthritis, heat is very helpful in bringing more blood to the area which helps to relax tight muscles and
reduce joint stiffness. An old fashioned remedy for arthritis is to “Stay warm and keep moving”. Again, be careful to protect the skin from scalds and burns by placing enough fabric between the heat source and your skin to protect it. When a pain problem is more chronic it is often hard to know whether to use heat or ice for the best pain relief. Our advice is to try both and see what feels best to the area afterwards. It is safe to try one and if still hurting to try the other right afterwards. Some people feel best with a contrast of heat and ice, ending with the one that feels best. Ten minutes of ice is usually adequate, and we recommend limiting heat application to 20 minutes at a time to avoid swelling in the tissues. Hope you find this helpful! Give our office a call if we can answer any questions: (925)417-8005.
Ice is a natural anti-inflammatory and helps to reduce swelling. For most people we recommend using ice for at least three days and maybe longer after spraining or straining something, but sometimes it is helpful for much longer. When ice is applied to the skin the first thing that happens is constriction (or narrowing) of the blood vessels under the ice pack. Our body does this to keep our body temperature from lowering too much. When the blood vessels constrict, the blood traveling in them moves faster and pulls with it extra fluid in the tissues. That is why it helps to reduce swelling and any inflammatory products that are in the tissues and joints. After a few minutes however, the area under the ice pack is cold and the nerves carry this information to the brain. The brain then sends a signal back down to the area to tell the body to send more blood to the area to warm it up. That is why your skin is brighter pink after using ice. It has stimulated your circulation to bring new oxygen rich blood
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