When applying cold to your injury, you may consider using a bag or cup of ice, frozen foods, or icing products made for specific injuries. Using ice for an injury is pretty common. However, research shows that icing certain injuries can actually slow down the healing process. When it comes to icing, be sure to only do so if the injury is swollen.
Using ice can help reduce swelling so the injury can begin to heal. If you have concerns about how long you should ice a specific injury, or you are not noticing any improvement, be sure to reach out to your doctor.
Try to take it easy and allow your body to rest as your injury heals. Dealing with joint pain can cause major disruptions to your day. Sign up and learn how to better take care of your body.
Click below and just hit send! Effect of local cold-pack application on systemic anabolic and inflammatory response to sprint-interval training: a prospective comparative trial. Eur J Appl Physiol. Michigan Medicine. Rest, ice, compression, and elevation RICE. Updated November 16, Is it time to put traditional cold therapy in rehabilitation of soft-tissue injuries out to pasture? Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellHealth. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page.
This is often seen in severe joint sprains such as ankle sprains where swelling is significant enough that range of movement is impeded. Another example is arthrogenic muscle inhibition of the quadriceps following ACL surgery. In these circumstances ice may be a viable option, as the goal is not to necessarily prevent all swelling, but to limit the extent of it 6.
In contrast, muscle tears often elicit less oedema and hence ice is likely not going to be of benefit in the early stages or at all during injury management. As we currently understand it, ice is less important than we once thought. The exception to this rule would be when injuries are severe and in circumstances where swelling will likely be the limiting factor for recovery. In these cases, ice may be beneficial in the early stages only. Meet the Physio Network Research Reviews!
If you have a question, suggestion or a link to some related research, share below! Thank you very interesting. Just one question. Why is ICE not been recommended anymore as we want the inflammatory process but elevation and compression is still recommended? Thank you. You must be logged in to post or like a comment. Posted in Other. Written by Zenia Wood. The reason for the changes? But what about ice? What then should be our primary focus?
Encouraging people to return to movement safely again, as soon as it is practical. Learn more. For example, a heating pad is an example of dry heat for an acute injury, while a sauna is a whole-body dry heat method. A hot bath is an example of whole-body, moist heat therapy.
If you wanted to treat an acute area with moist heat, you could use a damp, steaming towel. So, how do you use these various forms of heat therapy? Heat therapy may be the best way to treat your pain, but in some cases, there may be an underlying injury or other cause to address.
Ice has some critical advantages, when used correctly. Like ice, heat has unique advantages, as well as some disadvantages when it comes to treating an injury or pain.
If this is the case, you should schedule an appointment with a doctor right away. Depending on what is causing your discomfort, the doctor may recommend physical therapy , surgery or another treatment method. You may also need to take medication to help manage pain. Our orthopedic doctors are committed to helping you understand your injury or chronic pain and to treating the issue at its source. Contact us online or give us a call at to make an appointment today!
When Ice Is the Answer So, is it better to ice or heat an injury? Acute injuries: In general, ice is best for acute injuries, which are injuries that affect a specific area on the body. Recent injuries: Another clue that ice is best is if the injury happened relatively recently. Swelling tends to be the most extreme when you first become injured, especially within the first 48 hours. Overuse injuries: Athletes sometimes use ice to treat chronic inflammation in specific areas, such as a joint or muscle, from overuse.
In these cases, you should only apply ice after and never before activity. If you have poor circulation: If you have a medical issue that limits your ability to feel sensations on your skin, such as diabetes, vasculitis or Raynaud disease, you should avoid ice or use it with extreme caution.
Before physical activity: If you are about to exercise, you should not use ice. For example, if your calf is hurting and you want to go for a run, you may be tempted to ice to get the swelling down and then hit the trail. That is a bad idea, because ice will cause the muscle to contract. You could cause further injury by icing and then exercising the muscle. Icing the muscle will cause it to contract even more. For example, if your neck or back feels tight or stiff, heat is a much better option for relaxing the muscles.
Icing the area will likely do more harm than good. If your skin is compromised in any way, ask a doctor before you apply ice. If the doctor approves it, take special care to keep a barrier of some kind between the ice and your healing skin. An example of cold hypersensitivity is cold-induced urticaria, which causes a person to break out in hives if exposed to cold.
What Heat Does to the Body In many ways, heat has the opposite effect of ice. Whereas ice causes muscles to tighten and restricts blood flow, heat: Increases blood flow Relaxes muscles Heals damaged tissue Soothes aches Many things can cause your muscles to become stiff and painful.
Old injuries: Whereas ice is best to soothe new injuries, heat is typically best for nagging injuries that are still causing you pain. Soreness or aches: In general, if you would describe your pain as soreness or an achy feeling rather than a throbbing or sharp pain, heat is an excellent option to bring you some relief. For example, arthritis patients may experience ongoing aches in their joints. In these cases, heat may help relax the muscle. For example, if your job causes you to experience chronic pain in your lower back, you can treat it with heat.
Overuse injuries: Overuse injuries are one instance both ice and heat have in common. However, you should use heat to treat an overuse injury before you plan to use the affected area.
Then, use ice after the activity. When You Should Not Use Heat We just looked at some instances where heat is an effective form of treatment, but there are other times when heat therapy can do more harm than good.
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