A pulled muscle is a not unusual place occasion for humans. Humans who can be engaged in heavy sports are much more likely to get attacked through inflammation, pulled muscles, and muscle stiffness. There are numerous strategies used for curing those events. You can use bloodless and maintain pads or deal with those accidents or conditions.
Heat and bloodless remedies are each used for the recuperation of accidents. A lot of humans are ignorant of the activities once they should use bloodless and warmth therapies. The fashionable rule of thumb implies the usage of ice remedy for ache and acute accidents, inclusive of swelling and inflammation, while warmness remedy for stiffness and muscle ache.
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Working on cold therapy
Cryotherapy is another name for cold therapy. Cryotherapy works by reducing the blood flow in a particular area of the body. The reduction in blood flow reduces inflammation. It also reduces swelling that causes pain in a tendon or joint. This swelling reduces nerve activity and relieves pain.
Types of cold therapy
Cold therapy is quite effective in getting relief from pain. There are different ways by which you can apply cold therapy. You can use different types of cold therapy on an affected area. Ice baths, ice massages, coolant sprays, and frozen gel packs are some cold therapies that you can use.
Whole-body cold therapy chambers, cryokinetics, and cryostretching are some other types of cold therapies that you can use.
When should a person not use cold therapy?
Although cold therapy is effective, there are some conditions in which a person should not use cold therapy. Sensory disorders are some exceptions when a person should not use cold therapy. This is a situation when a person is unable to detect or feel if the damage is done by cold therapy. Diabetics should not use cold therapy as the sensitivity is lessened and the onset of nerve damage is increased.
It is not recommended to use cold therapy on stiff joints and muscles. Moreover, in case of poor circulation, one should not use cold therapy.
How to apply cold therapy at home?
A person can apply cold therapy at home. For this purpose, you can use an ice pack and wrap it in an ice bath or a towel. Apply this towel to the affected and injured area. It is not recommended to apply a frozen thing directly to the skin. Direct application of ice to the skin can cause damage to tissues and skin. You need to apply cold therapy as soon as you can after an injury.
It is recommended to use cold therapy for a shorter time. You can apply cold therapy several times a day. It is fine to have cold therapy for 10-15 minutes. Cold therapy should not be applied for more than 20 minutes. It is good to elevate the injured area for better results.
Risks associated with cold therapy
Although cold therapy is effective against pain and swelling, however, there are some potential risks associated with cold therapy. Heat therapy should not use hot temperature, but it should include warm temperature. Hot temperature or cold temperature can burn the skin. Heat or cold therapy can increase the onset of infection and spread the infection. So you should not use heat or cold therapies for more than 20 minutes.
Heat or cold therapy can result in swelling. If you experience swelling, you should stop the treatment as soon as possible.
If you do not feel improvement in a week, you should make an appointment to see the doctor. He can prescribe you other methods to treat this injury.
The use of cold therapy
Cold therapy is an important part of RICE. RICE stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation. RICE is a treatment that is recommended to treat injuries caused by sports.
Cold therapy is considered beneficial as it can help reduce lower back pain, swelling or pain under a splint or cast, swelling and pain in the knee or hip, arthritis pain, sprains, tendonitis, and runner’s knee.
Applying ice can help reduce swelling, and pain, reduce nerve activity, and help reduce skin temperature. Swelling is tied to pain. Thus cold therapy reduces swelling.
How can you apply cold therapy at home?
After knowing the benefits and uses of cold therapy, you might be interested in knowing the ways by which you can apply cold therapy. You can apply cold therapy at home. For this, you have to wrap the cold or frozen object in a towel and apply the towel to the skin. It is harmful to use the frozen object directly on the skin as it can cause nerve, skin, or tissue damage.
You should apply the ice pack for 10-20 minutes. You can apply the cold pack several times a day. You should check the skin sensation when you are applying an ice pack. This is how you can know whether you are damaging the skin or tissues.
Other approaches to reducing pain
Cold therapy, in addition to the rest of the approaches, can help get better and faster results. You need to combine cold therapy with the rest of the approaches.
- You need to take a rest and avoid those activities that can worsen the pain.
- Compression can help control pain and swelling. It is good to apply pressure on the injured area to avoid swelling.
- It is recommended to elevate the injured area above the heart. This is helpful in reducing the onset of pain and swelling.
- You can take over-the-counter medicines to bring ease.
- Physicians recommend some exercises that you can use to support the area. It is good to try some strengthening or stretching exercises.
The final words
Both cold and heat therapies are effective. However, the results that people expect from these therapies depend upon the time to use these therapies. You should use the right therapy for a certain occasion. If the treatment worsens the condition, you should stop the therapy immediately. It is good to make an appointment with your doctor so that he can advise other treatment methods.
