Are you one of the many who’ve said that after it’s been suggested you use ice? Well, you’d be one of the many! So, I thought I’d explain why icing, is what’s usually called for…
The technical term is cryotherapy (cryo = cold, therapy = treatment) and using heat would be thermotherapy (thermo = heat).
Heat is intrinsically comforting to us. That’s what we usually head for when we’re in dis-comfort. And it’s where I’ll start…
THERMOTHERAPY – Using Heat
Heat can be used by therapists to get the blood flowing into an area. This can be useful for chronic problems (those that have been around for over 3 months). It helps by opening up the blood vessels around the area. This allows plenty of blood in with all those nutrients on board, ready to kick-start the repair process.
Heat is also particularly good for over-used or sore muscles, allowing them to move a little easier. Muscles react to heat in much the same way Blu-tack responds to temperature changes. When it’s cold it is hard to pull and will likely snap. When the Blu-tack is warm however, you can stretch it a long way before it breaks. (That’s also why you warm up before exercise.)
But when a joint or muscle has been recently torn or pulled it’s more than likely going to be inflamed and painful. In this instance heat can actually make things more painful.
CRYOTHERAPY – Applying Cold!
Cold on the other hand is (or soon will be) a good friend, however uninvited it is to begin with.
Icing does the opposite to heat. It narrows the blood vessel, restricting blood flow. Now that doesn’t sound very helpful after what you’ve read above, but it is.
When there’s a fresh injury the body responds by creating inflammation. The job of inflammation is swelling, redness and pain (and, I’m sure you know what that feels like)! This helps limit the movement of the area and reduce further injury.
So how can using cold help?
Well, your body can’t actually heal itself whilst it’s inflamed. So, although inflammation’s great to get you out of the immediate situation, you soon want to get rid of it, and THAT’S what icing does.
As a side-benefit, by reducing the blood flow to the area, you also restrict the blood supply (and energy) to the nerves in the region. This means that they can’t send so many messages to the brain to say that it’s painful. So, although it might not be as cosy, icing really should be a dear friend.
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