Hot & Cold Therapy
How and when to use for effective relief and to promote natural healing.
Using Hot or Cold therapy on injuries or aches and pains is very common but can be confusing. This leaflet explains when to use each form of therapy, for how long and how often to get the best results.
The ’20 – 20 – 2’ rule
There’s a good rule of thumb when using Hot or Cold therapy and that is to apply each for 20 minutes maximum, any longer could damage the soft tissue, this should be followed by a 20-minute break and then you can repeat the cycle up to a maximum of 2 hours.
Once the 2 hours is complete then take a break for several hours before repeating the cycle again if required.
Can I use Hot and Cold together?
It can be a good idea to cycle Hot and Cold therapy, this is usually best when applied to more chronic issues (that have been long-standing).
COLD THERAPY
Use Cold to REDUCE inflammation in joints or muscles.
Cold works by making the blood vessels smaller, therefore reducing the blood flow into an area, inflammation is not always a bad thing, but often needs to be reduced.
When to use ICE
1) Following a Chiropractic visit
2) Immediately after an injury
3) When the area feels swollen, hot or throbbing
HOT THERAPY
Use Heat to RELAX tight muscles and increase inflammation
Heat works by increasing the size of the blood vessels, therefore increasing blood flow to an area and warming muscles.
Note: Inflammation is the body’s natural response to heal,
please ensure you use a warm (not excessively Hot) as it could cause burns or aggravate any existing inflammation.
When to use HEAT
1) Following a Massage visit
2) On muscles that are stiff or tight.
3) In chronic injuries that are not swollen, hot or throbbing
