Ice vs Heat Debate: when to use one or the other

Ice vs Heat

If you find yourself confused about the benefits of ice compared to heat or when to use one over the other, below is a short guide that might help you. 

Ice

• What are the benefits of ice?

  • In addition to pain relief, ice also decreases swelling, inflammation and muscle spasms. 

• When should I use ice?

  • Research suggests that using ice is most effective in the first 6-12 hours after an injury. 

• What kind of conditions respond best to the use of ice? 

  • Muscle strains

  • Ligamentous sprains

  • Inflammatory arthritides - Rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and gout  

  • Migraines - Ice around the neck or the head

• How long should I ice for?

  • When you ice you will experience four different stages of sensations - Cold, burning, aching and numb. Once you start feeling the numb sensation, you know that it is time to remove the ice. 

Heat

• What are the benefits of heat? 

  • In addition to pain relief, heat also decreases stiffness and increases blood flow to the area which kick starts the healing process. 

• When should I use heat?

  • Once the condition is out of the acute phase and is considered subacute or chronic. 

• What kinds of conditions respond best to the use of heat? 

  • Non specific low back pain

  • Tendonopathies

  • Arthritides

  • Dysmenorrhea (painful menstrual cramps)  

• How long should I heat for?

  • Depending on how much fat tissue is surrounding the area of interest depends on how long you apply heat for. The range is 15-30 minutes depending on how insulated the area is. 

PEACE & LOVE

You may have heard about the RICE method when trying to heal an injury, but have you heard about PEACE and LOVE? Outlined below is a new approach to healing soft tissue injuries. 

• Protect- Limit movement for the first few days to prevent further damage to the tissue. 

• Elevation - Raise the injured area above the heart to decrease swelling. 

• Avoid anti-inflammatories - Inflammation is the first step in healing and the use of anti-inflammatories can actually prolong the healing process.

• Compression - Use bandages, tape, or even a sock to decrease swelling around the injured area. 

• Education - Learn about the phases of healing to better understand what your body is going through. 

• Loading - Slowly reintroduce movements and exercises to the tissue. This can help promote healing, increase strength and realign scar tissue. 

• Optimism - Having a positive attitude always helps the healing process. 

• Vacularization - Get your body moving to get the blood pumping. More blood flow to a tissue means more nutrients to the tissue as well. 

• Exercise  - Slowly reintroduce exercises involving the injured area. Let the pain guide the intensity of the exercise. Sharp/shooting pain above 4/10 on a pain scale is harmful, but  a slight ache and/or discomfort is okay.  * Written by Natalie Stair