| Go take a warm bath. Put some ice on it. Soak it | | | | than thirty minutes. |
| in cool water. How many times have you heard | | | | Cold Therapy |
| this sort of advice after an accident or injury or | | | | As you might guess, cold therapy does just the |
| during a time you were experiencing pain? Hot | | | | opposite of hot therapy. It slows down blood flow |
| therapy --applying heat-- and cold therapy | | | | to a particular area, helping to reduce |
| --applying cold-- for an affected area are both | | | | inflammation, muscle spasms, and pain. |
| age-old methods. But for what are they most | | | | For injuries, cold treatment is generally used right |
| useful, and how should they be used? | | | | after the injury itself. It's effective in treating |
| Heat Therapy | | | | sprains and strains caused by physical activity. It |
| The function of hot therapy is to open the blood | | | | also helps stop nosebleeds, and can be used to |
| vessels. This increases blood flow throughout the | | | | reduce the severity of minor burns, as well as |
| body or to one area of the body, which helps to | | | | treat pain. Other than injuries, cold therapy is |
| deliver oxygen and nutrients and remove waste. | | | | effective in treating varicose veins, edemas, low |
| It also relaxes the muscles and helps to reduce | | | | blood pressure, headaches, circulatory problems, |
| pain in the affected area. | | | | sleeplessness, and strangely enough, even |
| Hot therapy is generally used for muscle stiffness | | | | susceptibility to the common cold. It also helps |
| and ongoing pain. It can also be used on more | | | | with various inflammatory arthropathies, pleurisy, |
| acute problems, such as incipient respiratory | | | | and respiratory infections. |
| infection, bronchitis, asthma, circulatory problems, | | | | Superficial cold (that is, cold applied to the outside |
| and lung disease. Heat therapy is also effective at | | | | of the body) is available in a variety of forms, |
| treating cramps, muscle pain, gastric and duodenal | | | | including cold packs (you can purchase these at |
| ulcers, and rheumatoid arthritis and arthrosis. | | | | your local drug store), cold towels or compresses, |
| Heat therapy is generally applied as a wrap, a | | | | ice cubes, and hydrotherapy (baths). Cold therapy |
| compress, a sauna, a shower, or a bath. Heat | | | | is generally known to last longer than heat |
| baths can be used to treat the whole body, or | | | | therapy, and should only be applied a maximum of |
| used to treat only the affected area. You should | | | | twenty minutes at a time. Ice should never be |
| always use caution when using heat therapy, and | | | | applied directly to the skin. While using cold |
| always check that the temperature is | | | | therapy, it's very important to check the skin |
| comfortable for you. Don't use heat therapy over | | | | often (every five minutes or so) to assure than |
| open wounds or stitches, or if you have poor | | | | no damage, such as freezer burn, has been done. |
| circulation. Hot treatment should not last more | | | | Wait at least an hour between cold treatments. |