Well, I figured I could get things rolling here with an answer to a common question. I think I heard the question a few times today..."what is better, ice or heat?" Well, as many things the answer is both... at least that is it depends.
Let' s discuss for a second why either one is used and what they are actually doing. When ice is applied it constricts blood vessels and slows blood flow to the area, which in turn decreases the body's inflammatory response. The inflammation is used in the body to heal...but then why would we want to decrease inflammation if it is the body's way of healing. That is a good question (you will have to understand that I am having this conversation in my head, and I like to give positive reinforcement to myself...it keeps the one sided conversation more fun for me!) Back to the inflammation question, while the body uses inflammation to heal, as part of the process the area around the damaged tissue becomes very sensitive to pain to ensure that no further damage is done, you know like listening to our Dad's by "walking it off" Not really the best approach in cases where there is damage. So, decreasing inflammation equals less pain. Also, the body does not know the difference between an open wound and a closed wound so it reacts the same way for both, and in the case of a closed wound, it is a bit of an overkill to treat it like it is fighting off possible infection like in open wounds, so decreasing the healing response a bit is not going to hurt the overall healing. So why then not just pop a few anti-inflammatory pills like ibuprofen? Well, using a body wide solution to a local problem is a bit of an overkill as well. I wouldn't recommend it as the first response, I think we are too quick to turn to those solutions and way too pill happy here in America.
Soooo, Ice is a great solution when reducing pain... and swelling is the goal (but we can talk about swelling later). This is especially so when the injury or irritation is relatively new or acute.
Now, what about heat? Heat is very useful for increasing blood flow to the area which is better in promoting healing of the area in chronic or long standing pain, and in therapies that are used in breaking up scar tissue and micro adhesions like in Active release techniques (ART) and Graston tools. Heat is great for making the therapies more productive and reducing pain while the heat is applied, it may increase throbbing pain after a while though, so be aware of that.So, Ice for new injuries and pain and also for new flare ups of chronic or long term problems, and Heat for long term pains and dull aches and to be used when coupled with treatment while trying to create a controlled inflammatory response trying to break up scar tissue and healing.
I hope that answers that a little better for you all. If this is just too wordy or not very clear, please let me know through your comments. Also if you have something good to say...then by all means say it (compliments are always better coming from outside my own head!)
