Hot or Cold Therapy: Which Treatment is Best?

When it comes to treating muscle or joint injuries, two of the most popular and effective methods for alleviating pain are applying heat or ice to the area, hot or cold therapy. However, there can be confusion as to which treatment is more effective. The answer is both are equally as effective as the other. The method you use just depends on the type and cause of the pain.

It is important to know the difference between how the two treatments actually work on the affected area. Before we look at them in detail, let’s differentiate them briefly; cold treatment reduces inflammation by decreasing blood flow. It works best when applied directly after an injury occurs. The perfect example of this is when you fall over and injure your ankle, the first thing everyone knows to do is apply an icepack to reduce the swelling. Heat treatment does the opposite, promoting blood flow to help your muscles relax. For example most people who experience muscle pain in their back might have a hot bath or apply a heat pad to alleviate the pain.

What is Cold Therapy?

Cold therapy, as mentioned above reduces blood flow to an injured area reducing inflammation and the risk of swelling, bruising and tissue damage. This therapy numbs the nerve endings and decreases the pain messages being sent to the brain. Cold therapy is most effective when applied to the area within a few hours of injury. This treatment can be used to treat both short term muscle and joint pain, and is used as part of the standard treatment for sports injuries (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation).

Cold therapy is best used to treat:

Recent Injuries
Strains and sprains
Tendinitis
Migraines
Pain and inflammation post exercise

What is Heat Therapy?

Heat therapy dilates the blood vessels, boosting the flow of blood and nutrients, which in turn helps the tightened muscles relax. Similar to cold therapy, heat therapy can be used to treat both muscle and joint pain. However heat therapy is more effective in treating pain associated with older injuries, where the problem tissue lies deep within, or from pain caused by arthritis.