HEAT or ICE? Some Helpful Tips For Your Back
by Weiss Family Chiropractic Center
OUCH! I just hurt myself! Do I use heat or ice for my back?
More times than not when someone has a spinal pain caused by a trauma of sort, I hear “I put heat on it and it felt better, but afterwards it got worse.” There is a reason for this! Now whether you stepped wrong, lifted improperly, or sneezed too hard and you hurt yourself, your body is still going through an inflammatory process which often causes pain. When not addressed with proper care it can progress and progress and become a chronic problem.
So here is a general rule of thumb that I like to teach my patients. Following these simple steps can often decrease your current symptoms and decrease your healing time.
1. First 72 hours after an injury
ICE for 15-20 minutes. When applying the ice you should not exceed 20 minutes. The ice should not directly touch your skin. You should have at least one cloth in between your skin and the ice.
2. The following 2 weeks
15-20 minutes of warmth, followed by 15-45 minute of no temperature regulated therapy, followed by 15-20 minutes of cold.
Depending on the area and condition (every person is unique) it might be appropriate to stretch after the warmth period, during the 15-45 minute time frame.
3. After the two week time frame
Continue with warm sessions 2x a day for 15-20 minutes each time.
Depending on the area and condition (every person is unique) it might be appropriate to stretch after the heat.
So what are the rules? Pain most likely is coming from an inflammatory response your body is having due to an injury. Like the swelling around a bruise, inflammation arrives at the site of injury via blood flow. COLD, decreases the amount of blood flow to an area, allowing for a slowing down of inflammation, and therefore often a decrease in pain. Once the body starts to bypass the inflammation stage and enters the healing stage an increase of blood flow in needed. HEAT increases blood flow, which then speeds up healing. Increase blood flow also helps in the stretching and relaxing of a muscle.
Every person and every situation is unique. This rule is based off of the inflammatory cycle. However, because all traumas are not equal in measure, the inflammatory cycle can also alter from the average. So be sure to ask your health care provider if you have a question and always explain your exact health concerns and symptoms to them.
At the Weiss Family Chiropractic Center our top priority is the care of our patients. That is why everyone is treated as an individual with a unique treatment plan to meet their goals, lifestyle, and needs. For any questions please call either of our 2 locations, in Wellington or Lake Worth.