Heat or Ice for Injury?

You just bruised a knee or tweaked a shoulder. You look online for how to naturally rehab. One article will tell you heat and another will tell you ice the injury. After googling a bit, you may end up more confused than empowered. Both heat and ice are good on their own BUT are great together. Read blog how to use alternating hot / cold hydrotherapy locally for injuries and systemically to improve overall health.

Hot / Cold Contrast Therapy

Alternating heat and ice potentiate treatment in the body where pain, spasm, or swelling are present. The body responds more strongly to the contrast of the temperatures than to each temperature in isolation. If the body is struck in some sort of chronic disease, the contrast rhythmically cycles the body from each polarity back to equilibrium.

Let’s look how this rhythmic hydrotherapy might apply to a common injury like a sprained ankle or strained back. After the tendons experience some micro tears, the body responds by sending lots of blood filled with immune cells to help repair the tissue. This creates redness, swelling, and pain in the area. This process is called inflammation and is not necessarily bad; after-all, it is helping the body heal.

Inflammation cycles

Perhaps so much inflammation is occurring such that you are struggling to sleep with the pain, and the swelling is so great that the tissue is turning purple. Applying cold will help shunt blood away from the injury; however, after repeated icings, you notice the tissue feels very stiff and it is healing slower than expected. Applying heat at the site of injury will increase flexibility in the tissue and direct fresh blood with fresh immune cells to help repair the tissue. Alternating hot and cold application to the area will decrease healing time, lower pain and swelling, all while maintaining flexibility in the tissue. It is especially helpful for overcoming chronic inflammation.

Here is a simple alternating hot / cold treatment for local injury sprains, strains, insect bites, or bruises

Local Hydrotherapy

1. Prepare warm wash cloth or heating pad and apply to local area for around 6 minutes or until the area becomes red and warm
2. Apply cold towel from ice bucket onto area for 1-2 minutes
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 so that you have a total of 3 alterations
4. Some people like to end with one more hot application so that they do not finish the therapy feeling stiff.
5. Repeat the hot-cold tricycle therapy as needed to reduce pain and healing time
6. Adjust hot and cold time periods for individual condition. If there is a lot of heat and swelling emphasize the cold application, if there is excessive stiffness emphasize the heating application.

Whole Body Hydrotherapy

The same hot / cold process can be applied systemically to the whole body in procedure called hydrotherapy. This balancing process if done regularly will improve your overall health, but specifically will benefit those struggling with low energy, cardiovascular, or lymphatic issues. Repeat the same alternating hot / cold tricycles described above but submerge your whole body in warm / cold tubs. If you do not have access to tubs, try alternating the temperature in your shower. It might seem difficult initially, but just take a deep breath and allow the healing hydrotherapy to seep into your being.