And what is a goal of this kind of treatment? Like we said before the goal is pain management but it isn't just that. It also increases metabolic processes and helps healing inflammation in affected tissue.
But what is really happening when someone receive cold treatment? Patient's skin becomes white and pale. That indicates that the blood vessels have constricted. Cold causes the blood vessels to restrict which will decrease the blood flow to the injured area. Cold also lowers the muscle temperature which diminishes the oxygen and nutrient needs of the muscle. And what is happening when someone receive hot treatment? After a hot treatment patient's skin becomes red and flushed. Heat increases the muscle temperature and blood flow. This increases the oxygen and flow of nutrients to the damaged muscle and helps facilitate healing.
Now, let us answer big dilemma, when is best to use ice and when is best to use heat? Cold treatment is the best way to treat any injury less than 24 hours old, and it should be applied for the first 36-48 hours. Why? Because with a fresh injury important thing is to stop the bleeding and swelling, also the application of ice helps in decreasing edema, pain and also accelerate recovery time. When is the time for heat treatment? Heat can be applied after the first 36-48 hours. The swelling that go along with an injury is often the major problem to recovery. Swelling restricts motion, which leads to weakness.
In our last paragraph we will discuss about ice and hot pack's application. Ice should be applied until a feeling of numbness sets in. This usually takes 10-15 minutes. Ice can be applied every hour or every other hour. For self-treatment follow these instructions: You can apply an ice "gel" packs to the painful area. Do not apply ice directly to your skin, as it might cause a cold burn. Instead put a wet cloth between the ice and your skin. For emergency cases you can use a plastic bag filled with crushed ice, or a bag of frozen corn or peas. Packed around the injured area, this will come in contact with the entire surface of injured area. . After the first 24 to 36 hours, you may use heat to help regain motion. Heat may be applied by using a heating pad, heat lamps, or a whirlpool. Application of moist heat is more effective and has deeper penetration. Heat should be applied for 20-25 minutes and can be applied once or twice daily. For home use, instead of commercial heating pads use hot pack applied with hot water bottle. Don't forget to cover the bottle to prevent burn. A hot bath or nice warm shower might also help.
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