HOT OR COLD FOR PAIN: Should You Use Ice Or Heat For Pain

HOT OR COLD FOR PAIN: Should You Use Ice Or Heat For Pain

When Is It Appropriate To Use Ice Or Heat To Treat Pain?

It’s hard to get through life without straining a muscle, spraining a ligament, suffering a headache or wrenching your back. And the longer you’re on the planet, the more susceptible you are to arthritis. When something hurts, will ice or heat make it feel better?  There is too much confusion about this issue. Two of the simplest treatments that can use to help you to manage pain are ice therapy and heat therapy. Generally, you use these in form of hot packs or cold packs.

Ø  The rule of thumb with a cold is if an area is red, swollen, inflamed, or if it's an acute injury, meaning an injury that just occurred, we want to cool the area down and prevent any inflammation. It's generally a topical anti-inflammatory that you are putting on the skin or body part -- wherever the injury occurred. It reduces swelling around the injury, bleeding into the tissue, muscle spasms and pain.

Ø  Heat treatments are used for reducing discomfort caused by chronic ailments. It works by loosening the tissues and improving blood circulation to the affected area of the body or a portion of your arm or leg It not only helps in increasing blood flow or circulation but also increases tissue elasticity or flexibility.

Ø  You can use heat or cold in alteration. Alternating between applications of ice and heat is called contrasting therapy. It’s extremely stimulating and is mostly used to facilitate injury recovery.

Heating pads and ice packs do not work for the same ailments.

We have compiled a list of the 7 most common forms of pain and which treatment would be ideal for them, heat or ice.

1. Back pain

For chronic back pain, you may think that taking a warm bath would be comforting. But that just leads to inflammation. Instead, you must opt for an ice pack. Experts say that applying an ice pack on the affected area for two to three days can reduce inflammation and pain. However, if you are dealing with chronic back pain, a heating pad would be a better treatment.

2. Menstrual cramps

Menstrual pains can be anything from mild to severe. Medication is not recommended for them. But there is one way of relaxing the muscles of your uterus and improving blood flow in that area, application of a heating pad. You could also try taking a warm water bath for relief.

3. Joint pain

Before you proceed to involve in a rigorous workout, you must heat up your knees and elbows. This is because the joints need to warm up before starting any form of severe workout. However, if you experience pain post-workout, you must go for ice treatment. Do this right after the workout but not for more than 20 minutes. Using heat treatment can lead to muscle soreness and even swelling.

4. Sprained ankle

This one is pretty common. Typically, people recommend heat treatment when you sprain an ankle. But here's an eye-opener, heating treatment for sprains worsens inflammation. However, ice treatment reduces the swelling and inflammation and controls the discomfort by numbing the affected area.

5. Arthritis

So which one would be more effective for arthritis, heat, ice or both?

In the case of arthritis, you can alternate both treatments. Heat can help in loosening the muscles and in improving blood flow to the affected area. Ice, on the other hand, can help in reducing inflammation and numbing the affected area. Heat wins for arthritis and injuries that linger more than six weeks. Patients with more chronic osteoarthritis usually feel better with heat. But for acute gout flares with heat, here ice is a favorable option. To begin with, you can try alternating both the treatments and over time figure out what combination of the two works best for you.

6. Torn ligament

For a torn ligament, use ice treatment, not heat. You can apply an ice pack or go for an ice bath for fifteen minutes after every two to three hours for the first 36 hours. Ice helps in limiting blood flow to the injured area thereby controlling swelling and inflammation. Using heat during this stage can worsen swelling. 

7. Headaches

Vascular headaches, including migraines, do better with cold. Cold masks or wraps over the forehead, eyes, and temples help in the throbbing pain of a migraine. On the other hand, a tension headache may benefit from applying heat to tight muscles in the neck or jaw. Heat wraps can halt neck spasms that contribute to headaches.

Risks of heat therapy and When to avoid Heat Therapy.

There are certain cases where heat therapy should not be used. Heat and inflammation are the other particularly bad combination. If you add heat to a fresh injury, mark out: it’s going to get worse. If the area in question is either bruised or swollen (or both), it may be better to use cold therapy. Heat therapy also shouldn’t be applied to an area with an open wound. People with certain pre-existing conditions should not use heat therapy due to the higher risk of burns or complications due to heat application. These conditions include:

Diabetes

Dermatitis

Vascular Diseases

Deep Vein Thrombosis

Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

If you have either heart disease or hypertension, ask your doctor before using heat therapy. If you are pregnant, check with your doctor before using saunas or hot tubs.

If you use heat that’s too hot, you can burn the skin. If you have an infection and use heat therapy, there is a chance that the heat therapy could increase the risk of the infection spreading. Heat applied directly to a local area, like with heating packs, should not be used for more than 20 minutes at a time.

If you experience increased swelling, stop the treatment immediately. If heat therapy hasn’t helped lessen any pain or discomfort after a week, or the pain increases within a few days, make an appointment to see your doctor.

Risks of Cold Therapy When to avoid Ice Therapy.

You should not use cold therapy on stiff muscles or joints. Ice can aggravate symptoms of tightness and stiffness; it can also just make any pain worse when it’s unwanted.  If you’re not careful, cold therapy applied for too long or too directly can result in skin, tissue, or nerve damage. People with sensory disorders that prevent them from feeling certain sensations should not use cold therapy at home because they may not be able to feel if the damage is being done. This includes diabetes, which can result in nerve damage and lessened sensitivity. Cold therapy should not be used if you have poor circulation.

If you have cardiovascular or heart disease, consult your doctor before using cold therapy. If cold therapy hasn’t helped an injury or swelling within 48 hours, call your doctor.