Which Is Better For Pain Relief: Ice Or Heat? Part 1

If you have a local area of pain (back, neck, shoulder, knee, etc), you may have tried some over-the-counter remedies, including ice and heat. But which one should you use?

1. Use ice to treat swelling. This is especially true for swelling in the lower body (knee, ankle, foot). Prop your leg up so that the affected body part is higher than your heart and put a bag of ice or frozen vegetables on it for 10-15 minutes at a time. Be sure to have 1 layer of cloth (such as a pillowcase) between the ice and your skin. Swelling in the leg will increase whenever you walk, so rest it as much as possible.

2. Use ice for an inflammatory problem, such as tendonitis (shoulder, knee, elbow, ankle, etc). Ice is more effective than heat for these conditions.

3. Use ice for pain control. It will help to numb the affected area in order to provide short-term pain relief.

4. Use ice if using heat for your painful area has not provided good pain relief.

5. Use ice if you have pain and are not sure whether to use ice or heat. Most people tend to use heating pads and have never tried ice to see if it is more effective for their pain.

6. Use ice for heel/arch pain related to plantar fasciitis.

7. Use ice to treat a new injury for the first several days or longer.

8. Use ice for your back pain. You may be surprised and find that it gives more relief than your heating pad.

To Be Continued!

How to decrease PAIN with a minor INJURY

It is common for family/friends to ask me how to manage a minor injury. "Hey, Liz--my back hurts" is a pretty common one. "I hurt my shoulder the other day." "For some reason my knee is bothering me."  I won't give any names, but some family members have a new area of pain every time I see them :)

My answer is the same for almost all of them. It involves a few easy steps.

1. Ice the painful area. Put a cold pack, a bag of ice, or a bag of frozen vegetables in a pillowcase and place it on the area of pain for 10-15 minutes, at least 1-2x/day.

2. Avoid the aggravating activities. If there are activities that bother your pain, try to avoid them or modify them for the next week.

3. Manage your pain with over-the-counter medicine if needed (check with your doctor and/or pharmacist for further  guidance)

4. Call me back in 1-2 weeks if it is getting worse.