As a general rule – ice (Cryotherapy) is the preferred modality for injuries. When following recommended icing guidelines it is difficult to go wrong by icing an injury. The opposite is true for heat – it is relatively easy to over heat and injury or use heat at the wrong time.
When a hot pack is applied to the skin, the body’s response is to make blood vessels larger, which will bring more blood to the area. After an acute injury there is typically inflammation, so adding a hot pack will bring more blood to the area and therefore more inflammation. Many people opt for heat because they think it feels better while it’s on, however they can experience a significant increase in pain 20-30 minutes after heating.
When a cold pack is applied to the skin, the body’s response is to make the blood vessels smaller, which will bring less blood to the area. Therefore, by icing an injury it will help to decrease inflammation.
Key Tips For Icing Injuries
- Use an ice pack that is designed for injuries such as a ColPac or Ice Bag. Food cold packs such as “blue ice” are not designed to treat injuries and can burn the skin.
- Use a moist paper towel between the ice pack and your skin.
- Never Ice for longer than 15 minutes per hour. Don’t fall asleep while icing!
- Frozen vegetable packs typically don’t stay cold enough or long enough to have a therapeutic effect.
- *** If you are diabetic or have poor circulation then you should not apply ice unless specifically directed to do so by your doctor or therapist.
Posts
