Types of Injuries that need Ice
The ideal practice is to always apply ice to any acute injury. Acute injuries such as sprains, involves tissue damage & inflammation all around the injury site; these are essentially short-term injuries
Examples of acute injuries are:
- Any joint sprain (most common is ankle)
- Muscle strain (slight pull on the muscle that has aggravated it, but not quite torn)
- Acute pain just after intense exercise
- Red, hot/swollen body part
Whenever you sprain something, like an ankle, you damage the ligaments that support the joint and the corresponding blood vessels so swelling occurs. Applying an ice bag/a bag of frozen vegetables, helps in constricting the blood vessels thus reduces the swelling and minimising some pain that you will be feeling.
Plantar Fasciitis is a great example of an ongoing injury that greatly benefits from icing when a flare up is present.
Types of Injuries that need Heat
Chronic pain and tension are the conditions that generally require heat therapy. This kind of pain indicates that your body has not healed completely and that is why there is recurrence of discomfort. Some of the most common chronic conditions are:
- Muscle pain/soreness
- Muscular tension
- Stiff joints
- Old/recurring injuries
In effect, heat therapy does exactly the opposite of what ice therapy does. Unlike the latter’s ability to constrict the blood vessels, the heat source allows the blood vessels to expand, stimulating circulation and increasing tissue elasticity, facilitating muscular relaxation and providing pain relief.
Tips to using Heat for an Injury
Heat therapy is a very useful stress management tool, best applied to the commonly tense Shoulders & Neck. The soothing sensation of heat over the shoulders and neck is a very effective way of managing shoulder tension, minimising tension headaches and limiting the amount of transference of that tension into the jaw whilst you are sleeping.
Following up the heat therapy with gentle neck/shoulder stretches provides great relief.
You can apply the heat with a heating pad/pack or a hot, damp towel. A hot shower is also useful in relieving shoulder/neck discomfort for the time poor. Our Infra Red Sauna is a fantastic tool to use with chronic tension. The warmth emitted combined with the infra red waves penetrating deep into the body, allows a deep release of tension.
Just as is the case with cold therapy, it is also important to take some precautions. Do not use heat for an extended period of time & do not sleep with the heating treatment on. This can lead to irritation, blisters, & sometimes even burns.
The best thing is to use the treatment in 20-minute blocks.
