The first instinct after an injury is usually to ice or heat the area. Which is more beneficial? It depends on the situation and the type of injury you are treating. Both can be used in the treatment of an injury to the lower extremities.
Ice
- Ice should be used immediately following an injury and is commonly used throughout the first 24 hours of an injury.
- Ice can be used on injuries that continue to cause pain and swelling.
- Icing is effective after activity and at the end of the day since injuries are being walked on all day.
- Typically it is safe to ice an area for 15 minutes per hour.
- The icepack should not be in direct contact with your body; wrap the ice in a cloth or paper towel.
- Icing causes a numbing effect on the nerves, which can help to reduce pain.
- Swelling is an effect of the body bringing the proper cells and nutrients to heal the injury.
- Icing reduces swelling by constricting the blood vessels and limiting fluid to the area.
Heat
- Heat relaxes the muscles.
- Heat opens the small blood vessels.
- Heat alone should not be used in acute injuries because the dilating of the blood vessels will cause further swelling.
- Heat helps in easing pain in arthritic joints.
- Typically it is safe to use a heating pad for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Be careful not to make the heating pad too hot for risk of a burn.
If you have any questions about icing or applying heat to
your injury, it is best to ask a physician. If pain persists, it is best to
visit a physician for a thorough examination of the injury.
Image by Quinn Dombrowski. Ow. (2009). Flickr.
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