Ice is used primarily if your injury is swollen, hot and red – common indicators of inflammation. Icing is a great, drugless way of dealing with inflammation.
Apply cold packs to fresh injuries – those less than 24 hours old. If you have an “OUCH” moment when you feel or hear a snap as you’re moving, ice the area for about 10 minutes. It won’t hurt the injury and may help keep swelling down.
Ice decreases pain and has a numbing effect on nerves. Do not put ice packs directly on the skin -- it can cause frost burn. Use a moist washcloth and then put the ice pack over that to get the most benefit. Or you can rub an ice cube over the affected area until it melts. Repeat for about 20 minutes. Also, don’t ice injuries for longer than 30 minutes, about ten to 20 minutes will do.
Now that you know when to use ice properly, the next section will help you understand when to use heat for the most benefit to your injury.
Heat for Injuries
Heat is a good remedy for certain injuries too. But there are specific circumstances when you should and should not use heat. Do not use heat on swollen, inflamed tissues, for example (use ice instead).
Use heat for muscle spasms or tender muscle points (aka muscle knots) to expand the tissues. Muscle “knots” are literally that -- knots or tied-up muscle fibers that are painful to move. These are also known as “trigger points,” and they are painful to the touch. Trigger points are the most common reason for those pinpoint aches in the neck, shoulders or back. They sometimes manifest in response to another injury but soon can overshadow the pain and damage of that injury.