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Whether you’ve pulled a muscle in your calf or back doing yardwork or sprained your ankle playing basketball, it’s best to start either off with ice to ease inflammation (including swelling ...
Heat boosts the flow of blood and nutrients to an area of the body. It often works best for morning stiffness or to warm up muscles before activity. Cold slows blood flow, reducing swelling and...
Key takeaways: Ice and heat therapy can help treat muscle aches and pains. Generally, ice is better for acute or newer injuries, while heat is better for chronic or long-term pain. If your symptoms don’t improve with ice or heat therapy, stop using them and talk to a healthcare professional.
Ice Packs vs. Warm Compresses For Pain. It can sometimes be confusing whether to use heat or cold when treating sore muscles or an injury. But keep these facts in mind.
Heat helps soothe sore muscles that cause back pain or neck pain. It works best for injuries that are at least few days old. Heat opens blood vessels, which can assist the healing process and alleviate some of your pain.
Heat and ice are both considered an inexpensive, easy-to-use treatment option for injuries and pain. But in the moments or even days after an injury, people often forget which choice provides the most benefit. Michael Behr, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon, says there is really no right or wrong answer.
Heat reduces muscle aching and stiffness, and works by improving circulation and blood flow to a particular area. It can also increase muscle flexibility and promote the healing of damaged tissue.
So how do you know when to use heat and when to use ice for sore muscles, back pain, or other common aches and stiffness? We spoke with an orthopedic surgeon and a physical therapist to break down when, where, and how long to use each modality.
Chronic (long-term) pain benefits from heat to relax tissues and stimulate blood flow. However, there are certain cases where chronic pain can also benefit from ice, such as after physical activity. This article will explain how to decide when to use ice and heat (or both) for an injury.
Use ice for acute injuries to reduce swelling and pain, and heat for chronic conditions to relax muscles and increase blood flow.