Using ice and heat to soothe sports wounds can both be very effective, but you need to be certain which is right for your particular injury. Using a cooling treatment on certain injuries can be harmful and the same goes with heating treatments. That is why it’s extremely important to know which method you should use on your particular injury and why. Take some time to read through some of the reasons why cool and warm treatments are acceptable for different injuries and find out which is right for your injury. Also, you should always run this by your doctor just to be safe.
Ice treatments can lower the amount of muscle spasms that may have been initiated from joint or nerve problems. Cold treatments are the primary treatment for relieving pain that is caused by inflammation and swelling. Using a cold treatment is also a good way to stop the want to scratch an itch that might be in an area that might be sensitive. You should definitely consider using a cold treatment when you’re dealing with a muscle strain or a bruise. There are many types of cooling treatments that you can use, the best and most common is a gel pack but ice inside a bag, wrapped with a towel is another common alternative.
Keep in mind that when using a heat treatment that it encourages blood flow and opens the blood vessels as well as capillaries. A heat treatment can be great for injuries that are tight and don’t have great blood flow, but just make sure that the area isn’t inflamed. Using a heat treatment can be the perfect solution for relieving pain in areas that are affected by sore muscles as well as muscle spasms. Warm towels and heating pads are two of the most common ways to apply heat treatment and they work great.
This should give you a general idea of which type of treatment is right for your individual injury. Now, I know sports injuries happen a lot and you want to get back to playing your game, but you should take extra care in finding out which treatment is right for you. To do this, you should contact your doctor before you commit to any type of treatment. Staying safe and using the right method of treatment will ensure that you’re healing quickly and properly and will help to avoid prolonged injury.
Morgan Payne is a football lover. He also maintains his own afl odds blog in Australia.
Ice Or Heat – When To Use Ice And When To Use Heat On A Sports Injury
