Ice and heat packs are cheap and affordable ways for us to manage the pain from our injuries. However, the skin can undergo discoloration at high temperatures for a prolonged duration. As a result, you should always take precaution and check on how your skin is coping during treatment. Any signs of discoloration, itching or burning is the way your body is signaling to you to take a break from the ice/heat pack.
Ice pack:
Ice is useful at reducing pain and swelling by numbing our injuries. It achieves this effect by reducing the nerve conduction velocity. When an ice pack is applied on the skin, we have receptors in our skin that pick up the cold sensation and sends it to our brain. Our brain registers this new incoming sensation and then the cold sensation becomes the focus which reduces our pain. It is essentially, a distraction technique that numbs our pain. This will indirectly allow you to move better due to a decrease in pain. Ice is also useful to help ease nerve irritations because it decreases the nerve conduction speed.
Acute injuries respond better with cold. The cold restrictions the blood flow to the area which decreases the overall swelling of the injury. If you are experiencing swelling as part of your injury, it is recommended to use ice instead of heat. Applying heat to a wound or swollen area will cause the swelling to increase.
Benefits of ice
- Pain relief
- Decrease swelling and inflammation
- Reduce muscle spasm due to pain relief
- Increase movement due to decrease in swelling
When not to use an ice pack:
- Circulatory issues
- Nerve issues
- Sensation issues
- Hypersensitivity to ice
Heat pack:
Heat works by dilating the blood vessel which increases blood flow to the area of application. For this reason, don’t use heat for bleeding injuries, it will only produce more blood. Heat works best at 40-45 degrees Celsius. Excessive heat (>45 degrees Celsius) can cause tissue damage. Heat can also increase pain in people with nerve irritations because it increases nerve conduction speed.
Heat is useful at relaxing muscle spasms. Therefore, if you experience tightness in an area of the body then try using a heat pack to relax the muscles. People often find that they have better movement after heat application because the muscles are at a relaxed state.
Benefits of heat:
- Pain relief
- Decrease muscle spasm
- Better movement due to relaxed muscle
- Helps with tissue healing by increasing blood flow to the area
When not to use a heat pack:
- Circulatory issues
- Nerve issues
- Sensation issues
- Open wounds
Research has shown that ice/heat pack for 15-20minutes is the optimal amount of time for a therapeutic effect. Some people can be quite sensitive to the extreme temperatures which makes them more vulnerable to cold/heat burns. For this reason, take caution when using an ice/heat pack and regularly check the area for excessive redness and/or discoloration. You can wrap a thin towel around the ice/heat pack to provide a barrier between the pack and the skin.