Ice, Ice Baby

One of the most common questions I get asked in the office is: “should I use ice, heat or are they about the same?”

Ice and heat are very different and have opposite effects on the body. As a general rule the first 2 weeks following an injury you will only want to use ice. During this 2 week window using heat often will make you feel worse.

Ice:
Ice works in 2 different ways in the body. First, it works by decreasing inflammation. This will loosen up stiff areas and also decrease the pressure in the joint capsule which helps the body “feel” better. Second, ice numbs the area so you will get a natural decrease in pain. Ice is a natural anti-inflammatory and pain killer that works very well with new injuries or problems in most joints.

Heat:
Heat works by attracting blood flow to the place where the heat is. This works well with long-term issues or muscular issues. By increasing blood flow to these areas the muscles can get loosened up or relaxed. Heat can cause problems in the short term because by attracting fluid to an already swollen area will further increase inflammation- pain, and stiffness.

Keep in mind that ice and heat work with the symptoms that your body is using to protect yourself. Therefore, only use them if you are working on fixing the cause of the symptoms, such as getting your spine adjusted by your chiropractor. Also by reducing your swelling and pain you are more likely to get re-injured by over doing it. Swelling and pain are the body’s way of saying “we were hurt and need some time to heal, and we are going to give you pain and inflammation to force you to slow down.”

Keep in mind that you will always feel better with heat on and you will feel worse with ice on- a better way to know if something is helping your body is to see how you feel 15minutes – 1 hour after you take the ice or heat off.

The next time you fell like you need Tylenol, Aspirin or Advil try ice first.