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Went to use heat or ice to treat an injury...

A common question is when to use ice or heat to treat and injury.

As a guide, if an injury in new, swollen, hot and painful…ice is the better choice…especially for the first two or three days. Ice reduces the swelling and pain.

The best method is to actually massage the area with a block of ice. Freeze water in a paper cup then peel away the paper like a ice pop and rub the ice over the injury. Continue rubbing with the ice for about ten minutes or until the area is numb and you leave a white spot after pressing with your finger. Of course you want to be wary to not actually freeze the skin! If the injury is deeper, you may need to ice longer at a time. For new injuries, repeat again after fifteen minutes…for older injuries, repeat hourly and eventually after activity. I am not satisfied that so called ‘ice gels’ do much more than irritate the skin but they give you something to do. If you don’t have a block of ice to use, gel-packs, frozen vegetables, bean bags or bags of crushed ice work well. Snow is cheap … in the winter.

For injuries that are more than a few days old, an injury that is more stiff than sore, heat is usually the better option. Heat brings fresh blood into the area to promote healing and mobility.

I’ve found ultrasound the most effective way to apply heat to an injury, however, for home use a hot water bottle or heating pad works well. If you are prone to falling asleep…do not use a heating pad as it will continue to warm and you may wake with third degree burns…I’ve seen this happen! Placing a damp towel over the injury and the heat source over the damp towel helps conduct the heat into the tissue. Gently warm the area for ten to fifteen minutes each hour as necessary and before activity.
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