Understanding Heat And Cold Therapy

Have you ever run your hand under cold water after receiving a minor burn?

Or, have you ever applied a heat pack to sore muscles after a long work out?

These homemade approaches to pain management are examples of heat and cold therapy.

These hot and cold therapy approaches can help with a number of different chronic pain conditions, including sciatica and fibromyalgia.

Of course, seeing our Washington DC physical therapists for heat and cold therapy is a little more involved than homemade approaches.

Unlike many physical therapy techniques for pain, heat and cold therapy is passive, and non invasive.

As a result, it remains a popular natural treatment solution for managing pain and many other conditions.

In fact, the U.S. Pain Foundation revealed that heat and cold therapy is the most used relief option to manage chronic pain.

67% of participants said they used heat and cold therapy at least once a week.

Let’s take a closer look at heat and cold therapy, how it works, and how your physical therapist might use it.

What Is Heat Therapy?

Heat therapy, or thermotherapy, involves applying heat to inflamed areas.

This heat increases the temperature of the affected area in order to dilate blood vessels, promote blood flow, and help relax tight muscles.

It is used to primarily relieve muscle stiffness, sensitivity, and cramps.

It also can eliminate the build-up of lactate acid after exercise to increase the flexibility in certain muscles.

Types Of Heat Therapy

Heat therapy comes in many forms, including:

• Applying heating devices, such as an electrical heating pad or a hot compress
• Soaking in a hot bath
• Using heated paraffin wax treatment

Heat therapy can also be moist or dry.

Dry heat therapy, or conducted heat therapy includes heating packs or heating pads.

Moist heat therapies or convection heat therapy involves hot water bottles, hot baths or steamed towels.

Moist heat therapies often work faster than dry heat therapies.

It also usually heats tissues more deeply and allows more blood flow.

Heat therapy could also involve using ultrasound and radiation.

During the ultrasound there is the transmission of sound waves, which causes tiny vibrations and friction in the tissues and generates heat.

What Is Heat Therapy Used For?

Heat therapy is an effective solution for the treatment of chronic muscle pain and arthritis joint pain.

Additionally, heat therapy may be useful for a variety of other conditions, including:

• Strains and sprains
• Orthopedic health conditions
• Headaches
• Sciatica
• Pain or muscle spasms due to neck and back pain
• Whiplash
• Soreness after a workout
• Pulled muscle
• Shoulder pain
• Degenerative Disc Disease
• Fibromyalgia
• Bursitis
• Herinated discs
• Bicep pain
• Cervical radiculopathy
• Rotator cuff tears
• Tennis elbow
• Rheumatoid arthristis
• Kyphosis
• Hyperlordosis
• Bone spurs

Heat therapy is also commonly used to warm up stiff muscles before physical activity along with warm up exercises.

A warm up before exercise can include high knees, kick butts, heel walks, toe walks, carioca, walking kicks, walking lunges, and over the fence, under the fence.

As a result, it’s a great tool for running injuries prevention and treatment

When To Avoid Heat Therapy

Heat therapy is not suitable for all types of injuries.

In certain instances, heat therapy may exaggerate or worsen pain and other conditions.

For this reason, you should avoid heat therapy if:

• Your skin is hot, red, or inflamed
• You have open wounds
• You feel numb
• Your injury is fresh
• You currently have an infection or burn
• You have a condition that affects your sensitivity to heat, such as peripheral neuropathy

Additionally, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor before starting heat therapy if you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure or heart disease, or if you’re pregnant.

People with the following conditions should not use heat therapy because it can increase your risk for burns or complications from heat therapy:

• Diabetes
• Dermatitis
• Deep vein thrombosis
• Multiple sclerosis

What Is Cold Therapy?

Cold therapy, or cryotherapy, involves applying ice or other cooling devices in order to reduce blood flow to an injury and subsequently slow the rate of inflammation.

Cold therapy is therefore useful in helping reduce the risk of swelling and tissue damage after an injury.

Cryotherapy is the “I” component of R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression, elevation).

R.I.C.E is an at home treatment for injuries, specifically sports injuries.

R stands for rest – take a break from any activities that may worsen your pain.

I stands for ice – apply ice to the affected area.

C stands for compression – apply compression to help control swelling and pain.

E stands for elevate – raise your injured area up, such as placing your leg up on the arm of a couch.

Types Of Cold Therapies

Like heat therapy, cold therapy comes in many different forms.

These include:

• A cold compress intermittently applied to the inflamed area
• An ice pack
• Soaking in a cold, but not freezing, bath
• Massaging the area with an ice cup or an ice pack in a circular motion
• A coolant spray on the impacted area
• Chemical cold pack
• Whole body cold therapy chambers
• Cryokinetics: or combining cold therapy and exercise
• Cryostretching: using cold therapy to reduce muscle spasms while you stretch

What Is Cold Therapy Used For?

Cold therapy is most effective when applied immediately following an injury, such as runner’s knee.

Other conditions that may benefit from cold therapy include:

• Osteoarthritis
• Pseudogout
• Repetitive Sprain Injuries
• Irritation of the biceps after physical activity (tendinitis)
• Migraines

When To Avoid Cold Therapy

Just like with heat therapy, in certain instances, cold therapy may exaggerate or worsen pain and other conditions.

For this reason, you should avoid cold therapy if:

• You feel numbness
• You have an open wound of blistered skin
• You have a vascular disease or injury, such as carotid artery disease
• You have a sensory disorder that would make it difficult to feel if damage is done, including diabetes
• You have a nerve disorder that affects blood flow, such as sympathetic dysfunction
• You have a disorder that causes you to be hyper sensitive to cold, like Reynaud’s disease
• Your muscle or joint is stiff
• You have poor circulation

Cold therapy should also be avoided right before physical activity.

Additionally, you should talk to your doctor before starting cold therapy if you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, heart disease, or vascular disease.

When To Alternate Between Heat And Cold Therapy

In some instances, alternating between heat and cold therapy can be extremely beneficial.

Some injuries go by the rule ice first, heat later as a part of recovery.

Cold therapy causes your blood vessels to contract, your circulation to reduce, this reduces inflammation.

Reducing the inflammation in the affected tissues can decrease your pain levels and help your muscles recover quicker after a workout.

Alternating between cold and hot therapy is also known as contrast therapy.

By applying heat after cold therapy, your veins begin to expand again, your circulation improves, and nutrients are carried through your blood to the injury site to stimulate healing.

The heat relaxes and the cold restricts, which creates a pumping in the lymph system.

A better lymph fluid flow allows for better healing and less inflammation in the healing process.

The muscles are also pumped with heat and cold therapy.

They constrict and contract with the temperature changes.

This helps with strengthening of the muscles if physical activity is not a possible treatment for your chronic pain.

Alternating between heat and cold therapy may be beneficial for certain conditions, such as osteoarthritis and exercise induced injuries and post workout muscle soreness.

Hot and cold therapy commonly treats:

• Musculoskeletal injuries
• Tennis elbow
• Carpal tunnel syndrome

Book Your Appointment With Capitol Physical Therapy Today

Are you unsure if heat and cold therapy is right for you?

Our experienced physical therapists can help.

They can teach you how to implement heat and cold therapy into your wellness and recovery plan while also treating the cause of your pain.

Book your appointment with Capitol Physical Therapy today.