What Is Heat Therapy
The best way to remember what heat therapy does is to recognize its purpose is to soothe the pain in a particular area or region of the body. Heat therapy works by increasing the temperature around an area of your body that is hurting such as a muscle. When your bodys temperature rises, it improves blood flow and circulation, so when you increase the temperature in a specific area of the body, its going to increase the circulation in that particular area. When you have pain coming from one specific muscle or set of muscles increasing circulation helps to relax the muscle, ultimately easing pain and discomfort. Since it improves blood flow and circulation, it can be an effective way to heal damaged tissues, as well.
At this point, its important to mention one major thing: when we say heat therapy, were not talking about putting anything really hot against your skin. Were talking a steady, warm heat. Anything that is going to burn you or cause even greater pain or discomfort is just too hot and should never be used for heat therapy.
Heat therapy can either be administered through dry heat or moist heat, but one isnt necessarily better than the other. It comes down to your preference try both to see which one brings you the most relief. Dry heat is the kind of heat youll get from heating pads, hot water bottles, heat patches and wraps or saunas. On the other hand, moist heat is the kind of heat youd obtain through a hot bath or a steam towel.
Treating Pain With Heat And Cold
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Overview
We treat everything from arthritis to pulled muscles to inflammation with ice packs or heating pads. Treating pain with hot and cold can be extremely effective for a number of different conditions and injuries, and easily affordable. The tricky part is knowing what situations calls for hot, and which calls for cold. Sometimes a single treatment will even include both.
As a general rule of thumb, use ice for acute injuries or pain, along with inflammation and swelling. Use heat for muscle pain or stiffness.
Acute Wrist Sprains & Treatment
When any of these ligaments are injured, which is referred to as an Acute Sprain, the first and most important step is to see about treating that injury as soon as possible.The first step will be to apply ice, or something cold, to the injury immediately, to counteract the swelling and reduce inflammation, which can make treatment more difficult. Ideally, a medical ice bandage is the best to use in these situations, but a bag of ice cubes, or even the iconic bag of frozen peas can work in a pinch.
If you can, find something to wrap around the wrist so that the cold object is held firmly onto it, rather than having to use your free hand to hold it on. It is important to keep the cold bandage pressed firmly against the wrist, but not so tight as to cause pain or cut off the circulation to the hand. If this happens, you will notice darkening and discoloration in the hand and will need to adjust the tightness of the dressing.
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When To Use Heat Versus Ice For Pain
Depending on the type of pain you have, one may be better than the other.
Every pain is different. Each type can be a symptom of an underlying issue, an unpleasant sidekick to a condition, or an overall nuisance on everyday life. Treating pain can vary as well. While going straight to the doctor or trying an over-the-counter medication are options, another can be applying hot or cold compresses to the area where the pain is happening.
Increased Tissue Flexibility = Reduced Risk Of Further Injury
Using a TShellz Wrap® is a good long-term plan as this will not only maximize the bodys healing capability it can also be used on a preventive basis to relax constricted soft tissue . The use of a TShellz Wrap® indirectly enhances the local blood circulatory system, increasing the supply of oxygen and nutrients the energy your tissue needs to heal.
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Heat For Carpal Tunnel
Heat is helpful for carpal tunnel syndrome for different reasons. Again, its not about getting rid of carpal tunnel, but rather providing temporary relief so you can get on with your day.
Using heat therapy can bring blood flow and oxygen to the area, which can help the bodys healing process. It can also soothe sore and stiff muscles, which is common among people who try not to move their wrist much due to carpal tunnel.
Heres how to use heat therapy for CTS.
- Use a heating pad or warm water.
- Place the pad around your entire wrist, or, if using water, submerge the wrist fully.
- Maintain the heat for no more than 30 minutes at a time.
Neck Pain From Sleeping Is Manageable
Neck pain from sleeping can be your worst nightmare in the morning. This can be caused by sleeping on your stomach, sleeping with your hand placed on the forehead, or having pillow problems like stiff or thick pillows cramping your comfort level during sleep.
Luckily, sleep posture matters. Try sleeping on your back or side, or sleep without a pillow. Sleeping without a pillow is known to benefit the neck, spine, and face. At the same time, it might also improve the quality of your sleep.
Other ways to relieve neck pain include neck exercises, showers or baths, applying heat or cold, acupuncture, massage therapy, chiropractic care, and an anti-inflammatory diet.
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If You Answered With Stiffness In The Leg
Although this is a rarer complaint, if stiffness in the leg was someones main sciatica symptom, I would opt for applying heat to the affected buttock.
This would encourage better mobility for the sciatic nerve around the hip and allow greater movement of the leg.
To use this technique, follow this method:
- Start laying on your front on a bed or mat . Never sit on a hot water bottle
- Take a hot water bottle
- Apply it immediately to your affected buttock
- Keep it there for 15 minutes, then remove
- Allow the skin to cool to a natural temperature, then repeat the process
- Always look out for any signs of heat burn on your skin and remove immediately if you see or feel anything.
What Is The Cause
Nerve damage can be caused by:
- Diseases, such as diabetes, arthritis, and liver or kidney problems
- Injuries
- Infections such as herpes, shingles, or Lyme disease
- Poisons and some medicines used to treat infections, cancer, seizures, and high blood pressure
- Surgery
- Pressure on a nerve caused by:
- Tight clothing or bad fitting crutches, cast, or splint
- Swelling from an injury or disease
- Repetitive use
- A tumor
- A bulging disk in your back pressing on a nerve
- Long-term, heavy alcohol use
- Not enough vitamin B-12 or folic acid in your diet
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Should You Use Heat Or Ice With Sciatica
I get a lot of people reaching out to me to ask about the best tips for sciatic nerve pain relief. Luckily, thats exactly what I do! Ice and heat are really useful, totally natural pain relieving methods for a variety of injuries. Today, we are going to talk about when you should use ice and when you should use heat for sciatica pain relief.
Before we dive in, please be aware that we are part of the Amazon Affiliate programme. This page may contain Amazon affiliate links, so if you choose to purchase a product for your sciatica that we recommend through a link on this page, we will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps us keep Overcome Sciatica alive! Thank you for your support. Please be assured that we only ever recommend products that we truly believe can help.
Tips To Combine Heat And Cold Therapy In Your Daily Routine
Here are a few tips to help you incorporate the use of heat and/or cold therapy in your everyday activities:
- Keep a heat patch near your beduse it first thing in the morning to warm up your muscles if you wake up with an achy or stiff back
- Apply a cold patch before bed if you have exercised or exerted your back
- Use heat therapy before sleeping and after waking up if you have chronic back pain
- Carry a couple of self-activating heat patches and ice packs in your bag or car to use while driving or at work
You are more likely to benefit from heat and cold therapy when you make these treatments a part of your daily routine.
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Bicep Tenodesis Surgical Repair: What To Expect
Bicep tenodesis is a routine procedure. Nonetheless the prospect of surgery can be stressful for patients and loved ones prior to the procedure. That said, from presurgical anesthesia preparations to idiosyncrasies of the surgery itself, there are some basic concepts to understand beforehand. How long does a standard bicep tenodesis traditionally last? How long will you be monitored in the recovery room after the procedure? We will answer those questions and others in this article.
Whether youre on the playing field or in the house, the occasional bump, bruise, sprain or pang is inevitable. These injuries may be sudden or the result of overuse and gradual wear and tear. Fortunately, less severe aches and pains may not require professional medical attention. In fact, many common injuries can be effectively treated with ice therapy, heat therapy, or a combination of the two. However, knowing when to use heat or ice and whether to use ice or heat first can be tricky. In this post, we will explain the proper at-home care for many frequently asked sports injury questions, such as how to treat a sprained ankle and whether you should use heat or ice for muscle strain. Before we jump into treatment, its important to understand the symptoms and causes of many typical sports injuries.
Heat Or Ice For Sciatica Management At Home
by Cianci Chiropractic Center Staff | Jun 23, 2021 | Sciatica |
Whether you are suffering from a sudden and recent onset of sciatica as manifested by pain in the lower back and pain radiating down the back of your legs or have chronic sciatica, at-home management of your sciatica can help in reducing your pain and providing much-needed relief.
Conservative management of sciatica through heat and ice therapy is a common way of relieving your sciatica pain at home. Application of heat or cold for pain relief from sciatica is more effective once you understand how these therapies work to relieve your sciatica pain.
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Heat Or Ice For Pinched Nerve Which Is Better
There is no such a thing as which one is better. One of the most recommended treatment options for a pinched nerve is hot and cold therapy, which actually requires you alternate between heat and cold so that both the swelling and muscle tension is addressed. Cold treatment can reduce inflammation, while heat can relax your muscles. Both can provide comfort for a pinched nerve.
Cold can be applied with an ice pack, while heat can be administered by taking a hot bath or by using a heating pad. You may have to experiment until you find the treatment best for you, but keep in mind you may need to seek medical treatment. Also, discontinue one or both if they cause you discomfort or pain.
How to Apply
When the area around a pinched nerve gets inflamed, it can cause your pain to get worse by compressing it even more. To promote circulation and relieve swelling, consider hydrotherapy. Hydrotherapy is a method that utilizes both heat and ice. First ice is applied up to four times daily to reduce swelling. At night, heat is applied for about an hour for up to five nights. Try the following:
How Can I Take Care Of Myself
Ask your healthcare provider:
- How and when you will hear your test results
- How long it will take to recover
- If there are activities you should avoid and when you can return to your normal activities
- How to take care of yourself at home
- What symptoms or problems you should watch for and what to do if you have them
Make sure you know when you should come back for a checkup.
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How Does Ice Or Cold Therapy Work
Cold therapy is generally used to reduce swelling and inflammation. When cold, such as ice or a cooling gel pack is applied to the lower back, it reduces the flow of blood to the lower back area by constricting the blood vessels thereby reducing inflammation of the sciatic nerve and providing symptomatic relief from pain. A cold application can also temporarily reduce nerve sensitivity thereby reducing your sciatica pain.
Application of cold also helps to cool the muscle fibers and helps to relieve muscle spasm thereby relieving your sciatica pain caused by muscles compressing the sciatic nerve.
Cold therapy can provide temporary but immediate pain relief and reduce the dependency on pain medications. However, overuse of cold therapy for managing your sciatica may cause skin or nerve damage. Typically, cold therapy should be used for only 10 to 15 minutes per session.
How Can We Reduce Neck Pain By Heat And Ice
Heat or Ice when it comes to sciatica?You may use a heating bag remedy for neck pain. The procedure of heating bag remedy is as follows
- Place a wet piece of material in the fridge bag and put it in the oven.
- You may use a towel to create a home-baked warmer. Use this technique to generate warmth at the point of pain.
- It is recommended to use these bags as cold compresses instead of heating it.
- To prevent burns, take precautions. You should use warm bags that are not too hot for your skin to handle.
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Apart from heat pad, socks can be used for homemade heater remedy
- Take one pair of socks.
- You may add half a cup of rice. It is preferable to use dry rice.
- To make the heater, you need to pour rice into the socks. Tie a knot at the open mouth of the hose.
- Once all this is done, place it within the oven for 1-2 minutes.
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What Ice And Heat Arent For
Neither ice nor heat is a cure-all for shoulder injuries. Again, icing right after sustaining an injury can help ease swelling and numb the area. On the other hand, heat can assist the bodys healing process and relieve tense and stiff muscles.
For that reason, your doctor is likely to recommend the P.O.L.I.C.E protocol for your injury. This stands for protection, optimum loading, ice, compression, and elevation. Your doctor will tell you to use heat after ice and between compression and elevation.
What Ice And Heat Are Not For
Both ice and heat have the potential to do some minor, temporary harm when used poorly. Heat can make inflammation significantly worse. Ice can aggravate symptoms of tightness and stiffness it can also just make any pain worse when its unwanted.
Both ice and heat are pointless or worse when unwanted: icing when youre already shivering, or heating when youre already sweating. The brain may interpret an excess of either one as a threat, but icing is more threatening and when brains think theres a threat, they may also amp up the pain.5 Ice seems to be feel more threatening to most people.
Be especially wary of icing muscle pain and it may not be obvious. You may think your back is injured, for instance, but it may just be muscle pain. Trigger points can be surprisingly intense and easily mistaken for iceable injury and inflammation. But if you ice trigger points, they may burn and ache even more acutely. This mistake is made particularly often with low back pain and neck pain the very conditions people often try to treat with ice.
Heat and inflammation are the other particularly bad combination. If you add heat to a fresh injury, watch out: its going to get worse! A physician once told my father to heat a freshly injured knee, and wow it swelled up like a balloon, three times bigger than it had been before. And three times more painful.6
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How To Apply Ice
Most of the time, the easiest way to apply ice to an affected area is to wrap an ice pack in a towel and hold it on the place where youre experiencing pain. Unlike heat therapy, you wont want to leave ice on your skin over any prolonged period. It can really hurt your skin if you do that which isnt going to help ease your pain and discomfort! The general rule of thumb is that you should only apply ice for 10 to 20 minutes at a time. To get the maximum impact from it, you can repeat the application anywhere from eight to 10 times in a day.
If youre suffering from lower back pain, one effective way to get some relief from your pain is to give yourself an ice massage. To do this, youll need water, a paper cup and a freezer. Then, follow these simple steps:
1. Fill the cup with water, then freeze until solid.
2. Peel away the top of the cup about an inch so that the ice is sticking out above whats left of the cup.
3. Lay down on your side. Put a pillow under your head and neck to keep yourself comfortable.
4. Gently massage the painful area with the cup. Move the ice in a circular motion, making sure to focus on one small part of the painful area at a time around six inches and being careful not to massage directly on your spinal column.
5. Repeat this motion for five minutes, then stop.
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