Heat and cold therapy are often recommended to help relieve an aching pain that results from muscle or joint damage. Basic heat therapy, or thermotherapy can involve the use of a hot water bottle, pads that can be heated in a microwave, or a warm bath. For cold therapy, or cryotherapy, a water bottle filled with cold water, a pad cooled in the freezer, or cool water can be used.
In some cases, alternating heat and cold may help, as it will greatly increase blood flow to the injury site. Cold treatment reduces blood flow to an injured area.
This slows the rate of inflammation and reduces the risk of swelling and tissue damage. It also numbs sore tissues, acting as a local anesthetic, and slows down the pain messages being transmitted to the brain. Ice can help treat a swollen and inflamed joint or muscle. It is most effective within 48 hours of an injury. Rest, ice, compression and elevation RICE are part of the standard treatment for sports injuries.
In the case of an ice massage, ice can be applied directly to the skin, because it does not stay in one place. Ice should not be applied directly to the bony portions of the spinal column. A cold compress can be made by filling a plastic bag with frozen vegetables or ice and wrapping it in a dry cloth. A cold mask or wrap around the forehead may help reduce the pain of a migraine. For osteoarthritis, patients are advised to use an ice massage or apply a cold pad 10 minutes on and 10 minutes off.
It should not be applied directly to the skin, as this can freeze and damage body tissues, possibly leading to frostbite. Professional athletes may use ice massage, cold water immersion, and whole-body cryotherapy chambers to reduce exercise-induced muscle damage EIMD that can lead to delayed onset muscle soreness DOMS.
DOMS commonly emerges 24 to 48 hours after exercise. A study published in The Cochrane Library in suggested that a cold bath after exercise may help prevent DOMS, compared with resting or doing nothing.
The participants spent between 5 and 24 minutes in water between 50 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit, or 10 to 15 degrees Celsius. However, the researchers were not certain whether there may be negative side effects, or if another strategy might be more helpful.
It may be less helpful for back pain , possibly because the injury is not new, or because the problem tissue, if it is inflamed, lies deep beneath other tissues and far from the cold press. Applying heat to an inflamed area will dilate the blood vessels, promote blood flow, and help sore and tightened muscles relax.
Improved circulation can help eliminate the buildup of lactic acid waste occurs after some types of exercise. Heat is also psychologically reassuring, which can enhance its analgesic properties. Heat therapy is usually more effective than cold at treating chronic muscle pain or sore joints caused by arthritis.
As Yale professor Barry Green explained in Scientific American : "Spicy foods excite the receptors in the skin that normally respond to heat…Therefore, the pattern of activity from pain and warm nerve fibres triggers both the sensations and the physical reactions of heat, including vasodilation, sweating, and flushing. This will feel especially nice if you have a fan running at the same time. The evaporation of the cloth's water will keep you cool all night, and the sheet or towel will most likely be dry by morning.
Shubhayu Saha, a health scientist at the C. The blades on your ceiling fan are tilted slightly in order to push air either upwards or downwards. In winter, you'll want the blades to turn clockwise, which will pull the cooler air in the room upwards and displace the rising warmth.
In the summer, you should switch the rotation to counter-clockwise, pushing more wind currents into the room below. You can do this easily, j ust find the switch on the body of the fan there should only be one! Salty foods and protein produce metabolic heat when digested and cause water loss.
Eat more fruits and vegetables no need to turn on the oven and smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day. Scientists have known about this relationship between digestion and metabolic heat for many years. In , Dr. Booth and J. This trick has been around for a long time, but I very rarely see my friends trying it at home.
Spritzing or soaking your curtains, or leaving the bottoms to sit in buckets of water, is a great way to cool down any incoming sunlight or breeze from the outside.
This trick only works if you can get air circulating to evaporate the water, so run a fan at the same time or chose a window with a draft coming through. Read more about Causes of Lower Back Pain. See Pulled Back Muscle Treatment. Always use heat and cold therapy intermittently, for 15 to 20 minutes, with a 2-hour break in between to avoid skin and nerve damage. While some people may prefer to use one type of therapy over the other, certain conditions may respond better when a specific therapy is used.
Here are common examples of different types of lower back pain and the therapy of choice for each. Once the inflammation has subsided, use heat therapy. When you apply heat, it improves the flexibility of soft tissues, movement of muscles, and overall functioning of the back.
The local warmth stimulates blood circulation in your lower back, which in turn brings healing nutrients to the injured tissues. See How to Apply Heat Therapy. It is also advised to continue using heat therapy intermittently for several hours or days in order to improve tissue healing and prevent recurrence of pain. If you have subacute or chronic back pain more than a 4-week duration , apply heat therapy using a medium that provides constant warmth.
When using continuous low-level heat, make sure to follow the package instructions carefully to prevent skin damage.
Muscle soreness and back pain can occur from extensive workouts, trying a new type of work out, or even from excessive walking. Soreness from these activities may start on the first day but typically continues to peak until the third day.
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