fbpx

 

Ice or Heat?

We get asked all the time, should I use ice or heat?  This can vary heavily on what is happening and your health, but here are some simple suggestions.  Now check with your chiropractor should you have any questions, as these are just guidelines.  Dr. Hulsebus will break down what he tells his patients for a rule of thumb on this.

Ice

When you watch a sporting event, like a basketball game, you will note they ice right away.  Once the athlete is done they ice certain areas.  Those areas are the ones that typically cause pain later.  They do not hurt at the time, but most likely will hurt later.  Understand, once you stop moving the joints will start to swell after stress.  This is why NFL players can not walk on Mondays after games, the swelled up over night.  The logic is, if yo ice prior to the swelling you can decrease the amount of swelling.  So if you always have lower back pain after yard work, ice your back when your finished.  the longer you eat to ice, the more swelling you will have.

Heat

When muscles are sore they get inflamed.   Inflamed muscles get sticky.  Sticky muscles make knots.  Knots make muscles inflamed,  Inflamed muscles make get sticky.  Sticky muscles make bigger knots, and so on and so on.  This is why it is important to break up knots before you add stress to muscles.  Warm moist heat can start this process.  This is why you feel better after a shower.  The moist heat penetrates and starts to dissolve those knots.  Not all heat is moist heat.  It is moist heat if you are damp after using it.  Warm compresses also work.

Rule

Moist heat to start and ice to finish.  Remember though there are reasons to not follow this.  Please contact us here to ask for yourself.  We learned a lot of this in the locker room with the IceHogs.