Ice Or Heat, Which Is Better When You're Hurt?

For a new and sudden injury... Use Ice for at least the first 72 hours

The general rule is that icing helps reduce swelling, inflammation, and bruising, and although it can cause some additional tensing of muscles, the management of these 3 symptoms takes priority over muscle tone.

72 hours is a general span of time where the bruising, swelling, and inflammation are generally the most problematic aspect of a new injury that did not require emergency care, and can start to be weaned off if things are looking better. If they persist, then ice should continue to be used until these symptoms start to resolve and you should consult your doctor for further treatment options.

For discomfort or pain that came on over time... Use Heat (generally)

Heat, on the other hand, is excellent at relaxing muscles and helping to ease tension, stress, and tightness that has built up over time. Whether you have had discomfort building up over weeks, months, or even years, or you worked out the day before and woke up hurting, generally heat is the better option.

The caveot to this is that heat does draw in more bloodflow and fluid, bringing healing nutrients to the area, but sometimes the inflammation is still the primary issue and heat can aggravate things, if this happens then stop the heat immediately and switch over to ice after about 10 minutes, giving time for your skin to return to a normal temparature.

How often should I apply heat?

A general rule of thumb for both heat and cold, that is applied to a specific area, is no more than 20 minutes per hour, repeated as needed throughout the day.

If using heat, a warm bath with epsom salt is generally ok for any length of time, but should not be so hot that you can't remain in it for at least half an hour to give the epsom salt a chance to work. Hot tubs and saunas should be limited to no more than 10 minutes at a time, and generally benifit from applying cold about 15 minutes after getting out.

Ice baths and cryo chambers can be very helpful to reduce symptoms, but should be done under the supervison of an expert to reduce the chance of injury.

Never apply hot or cold packs directly to the skin.

This can cause damage that may cause more serious issues than what you are trying to relieve. Always use cloth between the pack and your skin.

Never use heat or cold with topical creams.

Although it may seem like they would work well together, heat and cold can affect the rate at which your body absobs the chemicals, and may even change how they work. Using heat or cold with pain creams like IcyHot, Biofreeze, Bengay, etc. can cause chemical burns to the skin and increased pain.

What to do if heat and/or cold don't work?

In some cases, ice and heat are not sufficient. If an injury has become infected or it’s extremely painful, you might need to go to the doctor to get some over-the-counter medications. Your doctor may provide you with a more specific treatment protocol alongside your medications.

Depending on the type of injury you have sustained, you may be better off following a specific treatment protocol.

Alongside using ice and heat packs, you may be prescribed a gentle exercise program or a series of stretches to do each day. Regular movement can help to improve blood circulation to the area and this can promote a faster recovery.