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It’s great to know some great tricks and tips to help you treat body aches and pains, and being able to provide relief for yourself before having to provide professional help will save you a lot of massage therapy appointments. Using heat and cold therapy is a great way to reduce swelling, increase blood flow and circulation, and help to reduce pain and discomfort in targeted areas. Heat therapy or ‘thermotherapy’ helps promote blood flow, whereas cold therapy or ‘cryotherapy’ decreases blood flow, so it is useful to know when to use one or the other, and when to use both.
Heat Therapy
When applying heat to the body, the temperature of the area increases, more blood flows to the area, the red blood vessels are dilated, and circulation begins to improve. This improved circulation means that ‘fresh’ blood that is full of nutrients is being brought to the area and the body can start to repair damaged tissues and muscles. It also helps to eliminate any buildup of lactic acid that may be hanging out in your muscles. With new nutrients, increased blood flow and circulation, the muscles should relax, increase their flexibility and soothe discomfort allowing damaged tissues and muscles to heal.
Heat therapy is a great treatment for those who suffer from Arthritis and chronic joint pain. The effectiveness of the therapy depends on how deep the affected tissues or muscles are as heat can only penetrate so far through layers of muscles. This means that heat therapy may not be super effective in providing relief for old injuries in the muscles and tissues.
Heat therapy is great for relieving pain from
- Pain from strains and sprains
- Neck and back spasms
- Osteoarthritis and other arthritis and joint pain
- Tendonitis and chronic irritation in the tendons
- Stiff and damaged muscles
There is a difference in the heat given off by dry heat versus a moist heat, but for therapy purposes, both should aim for a “warm” temperature instead of “hot” to not burn the skin. Dry heat includes things such as heating pads, saunas, hot water bottles, or dry heating packs. Moist heat, on the other hand, comes from things like hot baths, hot towels, hot stone treatments, compresses, or moist heating packs.
Cold Therapy
Applying cold to an area of the body causes blood vessels to contract and blood flow slows down, helping slow down the rate of inflammation and reducing pain. Cold also can act like a local anesthetic, numbing Cold therapy is best suited for situations in which there is pain due to swelling and where heat is being generated the sore area and slowing down the pain messages that are being sent to the brain. Unlike heat therapy, cold therapy is primarily a pain-reliever, not a tissue repairer, which is why athletes use it to help reduce damage and onset muscle soreness that commonly emerges after 24 to 48 hours after exercising.
When To Use Cold Therapy
- On muscle injuries that have happened in the last 3 days
- Areas with swelling and heat being generated
- Strains and sprains
- Arthritis joint pain during a flareup
- Migraines and headaches
There are a variety of things you can use for cold therapy, like massaging an area with an ice cube or ice pack, moving constantly in a circular motion for a few minutes at a time can. Or immersing the affected area in very cold water or an ice bath. Even a bag of frozen vegetables can provide fast relief! What you use doesn’t have to be fancy, it just has to be able to hold onto a cold temperature for long enough for the cold to penetrate the inflamed muscles and help dull the pain. Be sure to protect your skin and have a layer of fabric between the cold and your body or prevent skin irritation.
Using Heat and Cold Therapy Together
If you are only using heat therapy or cold therapy, it is best to use the heating pad or ice patch, or whatever you choose to use, for a longer period of time than you would if alternating them. Cold therapy should be applied for 10-20 minutes, several times a day, but no more than once an hour and never for longer than 20 minutes. Heat therapy can be used for a little longer than cold therapy, but if the injury is minor 15-20 minutes of application will do, but can be used from 30 minutes to 2 hours for more severe pain, like arthritis. Alternating between heat and cold can sometimes be most beneficial in the healing and repairing process.
When NOT to use Heat or Cold Therapy
- If the skin is blistered or has an open wound.
- If the person is hypersensitive to hot or cold.
- If the skin or area is already numb.
- If you have circulatory or heart conditions.
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