There seems to be a lot of debate over whether to use heat or cold for injuries. There are many who go by the RICE method of Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevate. While many traditional beliefs swear by the heat. Both are right, but there is a time and place for everything of course.

What does cold do?

Putting an ice pack on your body causes changes that inevitably can decrease your pain. Cold can decrease our perception of pain. Applying cold to an injury site can temporarily slow down the function of our nerves. So when we are normally hurt our body sends pain signals from the injury site to our brain to signify that something is wrong. With ice applied to an injury, pain signals are slowed, so a person may perceive less pain. This reaction usually varies from person to person and it is important to know that ice may not block out all the pain, but the idea is it can decrease the pain.

Cold can also decrease blood flow to the area of an injury which can be helpful in some instances. Sometimes when we are injured, whether we strain a muscle like a bicep or sprain a ligament like in the ankle, fluid can start to build up in the injury area, this includes blood and other bodily fluids. Cold can slow down the blood flow and therefore limit the amount of fluids and swelling.

Because cold slows down our blood flow, that may be an undesirable effect in certain instances. When we are injured our body sends platelets and other molecules that help repair the structures that are damaged. Slowing down blood flow with an ice pack can therefore be damaging as the body is not able to adequately begin that repair process.

What does heat do?

Heat works by helping to relax the muscles in the area it's applied to. The heat applied to the skin can stimulate the pain receptors in a way that helps to release chemicals that will cause muscles to relax.

If cold causes a slowing down of blood to the area, heat does the opposite, increasing blood flow to an area. With blood travels oxygen and other healing factors that can promote the healing of an injury.

That being said, increasing blood flow to an injured area may not be a desirable effect. When you have an injury because blood vessels are torn, increasing blood flow to an area can cause an increase in the fluids and blood that are leaked out into the surrounding tissue. This could cause increased swelling, more pain, and a decreased healing time.

Time and a place

Typically ice is best during the acute stages of an injury. The acute stage is the time it takes your body to start repairing, this usually lasts 1-3 days. Allow the body some time to start the repair process. If the pain is unbearable starting to ice sooner is not the end of the world.

Heat is no good while the body is still healing allowing, 3 days of time after an injury before starting to heat.

Chronic pain

Heat is best for chronic pain (meaning pain that persists over a long period). There's no bad time for heat with chronic pain, even if you re-tweak a chronic injury, if the original injury was a while back, heat won't hurt. Ice may help to reduce pain, but heat may be more effective in promoting healing.

Preference

Ultimately as long as you follow the rule of no heat for the first 3 days, it will be up to whether you prefer the cold or the heat. Both can aid you on the journey to a pain-free life.

Still unsure, get in touch with one of our many healthcare practitioners and we can help you on the journey.

Which do you prefer?