🤔 When it comes to hot and cold therapies, are you confused about what to use and when?
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👍 We wanted to give you a brief overview of guidelines we adhere to and advise our clients to try.
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🔥 HOT THERAPY:
🔥 When to use – If muscles are sore and need relaxing. To help improve range of motion.
🔥 How it works – Improves the circulation of blood around the body by allowing the blood vessels to dilate (expand), which brings more blood flow to the area.
🔥 What to use – Heat sprays/rubs, heat patches, hot water bottles, microwavable packs.
🔥 Length of time to use – from 15 mins up to multiple hours, as long as the product stays hot!
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❄️ COLD THERAPY:
❄️ When to use – Immediately after an injury to help reduce pain, swelling and any other signs on inflammation (redness, heat, reduced function).
❄️ How it works – Reduces blood flow to the area by constricting the blood vessels.
❄️ What to use – Ice, cold sprays/rubs, ice/cold packs, ice bath.
❄️ Length of time to use – at least 10 minutes, ideally 30 mins cycle, 10 on, 10 off, 10 on.
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🔥❄️ COMBINATION:
❄️🔥 When to use – Alternate between hot and cold therapies, after the initial/acute stage of injury, approximately 3-5 days after the injury.
🔥❄️ How it works – The restriction (from the cold therapy) and the expansion/dilation (from the heat therapy) acts like a pump in the blood vessels and helps to reduce pain and promote recovery.
❄️🔥 What to use – Start and end with cold therapy with heat in between, repeat 2-3 times.
🔥❄️ Length of time to use – Same lengths if using individual therapies.
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🙌 Hopefully, this clears up any queries. If any further information is needed or for individual injury enquiries, please drop us a message 👍📩