Ice can be a very good friend!

Lots of folks prefer heat.  They like the way it feels more than they do ice (and I don’t blame them one bit!)

But as a pain relief tool for getting rid of muscle pain and “knots” in your back ice can’t be beat.

And here’s a tip:  Don’t use it only where you  have pain or knots.

Use ice on the front of your body, too.

Ice the sides of your neck, your upper chest and the fronts of your arms.  You can ice your lower ribs, too.

That sounds pretty chilly but, you see, everything in your body is attached to everything else.

So, if the muscles in the front of your body are tight and short (and it’s very likely they are) they will pull you forward.  That may be a primary cause of your back pain.  Being collapsed forward or in a “forward head” position strains back muscles.

So try ice.  You just may become quite fond of it!

And, where’s a very “cool” place to visit to learn more about getting rid of the the pain in your back?  Just click here –> http://SimpleBackPainRelief.com

You will find lots of articles there to help you get rid of knots in your back, muscle spasms and other nasty back pain.

Applications of heat fill the tissues with blood and increase circulation.  Short applications of ice also increase circulation.  This is all good!

Longer applications of cold by itself reduce the flow of blood to the area so keep application of cold in an area to less than one minute.  (Water Therapy, Leon Chaitow MD)

What is contrast therapy?

Alternating heat/hot and cold/ice applications helps increase circulation, increases oxygen supply to the soft tissues and improves drainage to reduce inflammation (swelling.)  Dr. Chaitow suggests finishing [More...] with cold in most instances.

Heat increases blood flow to tight muscles and cold reduces inflammation.  But sometimes you don’t have to decide.  Sometimes you can use both!

Here’s how to use contrast therapy:

You can alternate hot packs and cold packs.  You might use ice massage (actual massage with a ice cube) and alternate it with hot towels or hot packs.  Or you might use two dishpans with hot water in one (98-104 degrees F maximum–hot enough to tolerate comfortably, not to burn) and very cold water (55-65 degrees F) in the other.  You can tell if the cold is cold enough if ice doesn’t melt as it floats.

You can place your hands, elbows, arms or feet in the contrast baths.  Soak for two or three minutes in each bath.  Alternate from pan to pan several times.  You can do both arms or feet at the same time in the same or different pans.

Pay attention to your body.  You may get some unusual sensations because your body isn’t used to processing the two different sensory inputs at the same time.

Lots of times people think of heat as being more soothing and therapeutic.  If you apply heat and feel slightly worse, that means that ice/cold will benefit you more.  Even though ice can be very uncomfortable, it is often the treatment of choice.

Contrast therapy (also called contrast hydrotherapy), using both ice and heat, can help your muscles feel better.  Muscle tissue can relax and soften, it becomes easier to stretch, and pain is lessened.

You can still use ice or heat by themselves but now you have another choice:  contrast therapy for muscle pain relief.

Ice can help you heal and get rid of your pain much more quickly than heat.  My friend Bette Dowdell will share her experience with you.  Bette’s an endocrine specialist.  She LOVES ice!

Here’s what Bette says about ice therapy:

Muscle problems tend to accompany endocrine issues, especially adrenal glands that can’t or won’t keep up.

Our muscles get inflamed and “knotted up,” worse on some days than others.

Accupressure massage helps, but few therapists do it right. Several therapists have had at my back. Some felt like they were tickling me; some bruised my muscles and left me sore for days. Only one, Glenn Kippes, the physical therapist who treated me when I lived in Tucson, made a real difference. He’s a magician, but most aren’t.

Doctors usually advise hot baths–the exact wrong thing to do. Heat just inflames muscles all the more.

I know, I know. Heat feels really good. Problem is, all the while it’s feeling good, it’s making things worse.

Answer me this: A half hour or so after you get out of a hot bath or the Jacuzzi, are your muscles better or worse? And how much progress have you made with your muscle pain since you started treating yourself with heat?

A lot of people, especially men and senior citizens for some reason, won’t even consider giving up hot soaks, fully persuaded that some day they’ll work, and all the pain will disappear. It reminds me of when my kid brother was very young and liked to watch the same movie over and over–in case the ending changed.

The answer? Ice. Sheesh! Even in the Phoenix summer, lying on ice packs doesn’t make me burst into song. It’s more in the a-girl’s-gotta-do-what-a-girl’s-gotta-do category than the oh-yippee-it’s-time-for-my-ice category.

Several years ago, a man veered out of his lane and hit my car–right next to where I sat–at about 50 mph. Seat belt or no, my body parts flew in all directions, most of which God never intended. Besides a concussion and whiplash, I hurt in places I didn’t know I had places.

Doctors poked, prodded and x-rayed, then pronounced me fit as a fiddle. Good as new. And every muscle in my body said, “You’re kidding, right?” Well, no, they weren’t.

But I could hardly move. And wincing from the pain was giving me crow’s feet, which isn’t a look to which I aspired.

So Glenn went to work. He told me I would get better, faster results if I went to bed each night on ice packs. He gave me three 10″ X 13″ packs so I could start right away.

So every night for months, I lined up my three ice packs–which went from my neck to my tukus–covered them with a towel, and eased into bed. Ever so slowly, my muscles healed.

I keep my ice packs in the freezer, ready for duty, to this day. If I’ve overdone it, or twisted something–somehow done something to make my muscles unhappy, out come the ice packs.

I’m not a jock, but a do-it-yourselfer. Sometimes do-it-yourself ends up meaning hurting yourself in new and imaginative ways.

If my arms hurt, I ice the area where my neck meets my spine. If my legs hurt, I ice my lower back. If the pain s general, I line up the three amigos and park myself on them.

Life goes better with ice packs.

A closing word: Muscles that scream at top volume can’t always take the full power and glory of ice packs at first. Cover the packs with two or three towels to tone down the effect. You’ll build tolerance for full power over time–as you heal.

Bette Dowdell
http://TooPoopedToParticipate.com

P.S. Remember. I’m not a doctor, just a patient like you. Luckily for both of us, I’ve been studying this stuff for years. Knowledge is power.