Comments on: Use Ice and Heat Together for Muscle Pain Relief http://simplepainrelief.com/2010/03/01/use-ice-and-heat-together-for-muscle-pain-relief/ You deserve to feel better! Discover the truth about why you hurt and the "secrets" to becoming pain free! Mon, 21 May 2012 02:14:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Kathryn Merrow http://simplepainrelief.com/2010/03/01/use-ice-and-heat-together-for-muscle-pain-relief/comment-page-1/#comment-330 Kathryn Merrow Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:37:33 +0000 http://simplepainrelief.com/?p=467#comment-330 Hi Bruce, I appreciate your input. "Chronic aches and pains" means you have them all the time and have had them for a while. "Acute injury or pain" means you just got it within the past 2-3 days. There are many ways to apply heat or cold so the application depends on what you are using. You can use water itself as described in the article. You can use ice directly--but constantly moving it so it is not always on the same spot--on the skin. That is called "ice massage." In the end, you want the cold or heat to be cold enough or warm enough to make a difference and to be therapeutic. You do NOT want to injure your skin or circulation in the area with too much heat or cold. I have seen backs with permanent color changes--quite like scarring--from too much application of too much heat. Or you can use cold or hot gel packs or rice packs that can go into the microwave or freezer. I always recommend using the cover or a thin towel, too, between your skin and a hot or cold container. I will admit that sometimes I do not feel sufficient cold with the cover that came with one of my ice packs so I use a thinner lightweight woven towel instead. Kathryn Hi Bruce, I appreciate your input. “Chronic aches and pains” means you have them all the time and have had them for a while. “Acute injury or pain” means you just got it within the past 2-3 days.

There are many ways to apply heat or cold so the application depends on what you are using. You can use water itself as described in the article. You can use ice directly–but constantly moving it so it is not always on the same spot–on the skin. That is called “ice massage.”

In the end, you want the cold or heat to be cold enough or warm enough to make a difference and to be therapeutic. You do NOT want to injure your skin or circulation in the area with too much heat or cold. I have seen backs with permanent color changes–quite like scarring–from too much application of too much heat.

Or you can use cold or hot gel packs or rice packs that can go into the microwave or freezer. I always recommend using the cover or a thin towel, too, between your skin and a hot or cold container. I will admit that sometimes I do not feel sufficient cold with the cover that came with one of my ice packs so I use a thinner lightweight woven towel instead.

Kathryn

]]> By: Bruce "the Mid-Life Mentor" http://simplepainrelief.com/2010/03/01/use-ice-and-heat-together-for-muscle-pain-relief/comment-page-1/#comment-329 Bruce "the Mid-Life Mentor" Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:43:37 +0000 http://simplepainrelief.com/?p=467#comment-329 It appears you are recommending contrast therapy for chronic aches and pains and not acute injury. Cold seems to be better for acute injury to reduce swelling and thus promote more rapid healing. With any cold application, there is a warm-up period when the skin is bright pink. Cold for acute injury has to be applied until that warm up period stops. I wonder if you recommend applying heat or cold through a thin cloth if the hot or cold liquid is in a plastic container. Many of them already come with a cover and I always recommend using it. It appears you are recommending contrast therapy for chronic aches and pains and not acute injury. Cold seems to be better for acute injury to reduce swelling and thus promote more rapid healing. With any cold application, there is a warm-up period when the skin is bright pink. Cold for acute injury has to be applied until that warm up period stops.
I wonder if you recommend applying heat or cold through a thin cloth if the hot or cold liquid is in a plastic container. Many of them already come with a cover and I always recommend using it.

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