Here\u2019s some info on how to use ice and heat especially for chronic pain, or gym workouts gone wrong.<\/p>\n
What I taught people when I worked at Austin Pain Therapy is to use ice and heat. \u00a0In other words 20-30 min of ice followed immediately by 20-30 of heat. The next step is to take a break for 30 min then repeat the process if you are really in a flare-up. \u00a0It doesn\u2019t matter whether ice or heat is used first, but I generally use ice first if it\u2019s a bad flare-up as ice works to break the pain cycle.\u00a0 I then follow it with heat. But for instance if it\u2019s a sore muscle but not throbbing and burning I would use heat first.<\/p>\n
The truth is most people will only take the time to do one thing as there is always laundry to do, email, Dancing with the Stars, dinner, etc. I am guilty of this myself, but when I have a flare-up and finally take the time to use both it makes a significant difference in the pain level or intensity.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t use electric heating pads first because most people stay on them longer than 30 min and this actually can cause more pain at a cellular level. I like the Bed Buddy Back Wrap which is hard to find any more. \u00a0It has rice in it and is a moist heat, plus it\u2019s portable so guess what, you can do all those chores around the house wearing it and even use it in the car to go pick up a pizza, who knew!<\/p>\n
Another strategy is to use ice while getting ready for work and throw on your hot pack while driving to work. I have very expensive ice packs to very cheap and I\u2019ve got to say I prefer my cheap one. Here is how to make one: Fill a one gallon zip lock back about half way with dish washing soap such as Palmolive. Burp it and then put it in another bag in case it leaks. Be sure to burp both bags. Lay the bag horizontally in the freezer and let chill for several hours.<\/p>\n
It used to be that when you took them out they would be like a gel, but the formulas have changed and they are hard when you take them out. \u00a0So I let it sit on the counter for a bit, but beware they are very cold so cover with a towel.<\/p>\n
Now, a lot of women say they just don\u2019t like \u201ccold\u201d. \u00a0But the benefits can be worth it and its worth at least a try. So cover the pack up even more so that it\u2019s just cool and you will gradually get used to the cold.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t use cold packs however, if it really does increase your pain or you have numbness or RSD. \u00a0A lot of women with Fibromyalgia can\u2019t tolerate cold so listen to your body.<\/strong><\/p>\n Okay, that covers the cold, so let\u2019s talk about heat. Heat acts to relax the muscles and increase circulation. (Remember cold acts to break the pain cycle.) Now a lot of people say \u201cWell it\u2019s only temporary and the pain comes back\u201d. \u00a0I say \u201c\u201dTrue\u201d, but if you have chronic, some relief, any amount of relief during the day is good.\u201d<\/p>\n So here\u2019s a way to make a heat pack and it\u2019s a great way to treat painful hands and feet. Fill a pillowcase with about 4 lbs of dry white rice and then put it in a microwave for about 2 1\/2 min. When you take it out, test for hot spots and move the rice around a bit to even out the heat. Next, put your rice filled pillowcase on a pillow on your lap and put your hands in the rice. If you are using this for feet, put the pillowcase on a towel and then slide your feet into the pillowcase.<\/p>\n The majority of my chronic pain sufferers, who regularly used ice and heat, stated at their discharge evaluation that they had a decrease in intensity and frequency of flare-ups. Additionally, they were able to get them under control quicker and were shorter in duration.<\/p>\n If you are suffering from pain, chronic or not, these steps often work and it\u2019s worth it for some relief. Why not give it a shot?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Here\u2019s some info on how to use ice and heat especially for chronic pain, or gym workouts gone wrong. What I taught people when I worked at Austin Pain Therapy is to use ice and heat. \u00a0In other words 20-30 min of ice followed immediately by 20-30 of heat. The next step is to take<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[75,76,77,78,79],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolbilich.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1977"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolbilich.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolbilich.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolbilich.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolbilich.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1977"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/carolbilich.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1977\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1980,"href":"https:\/\/carolbilich.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1977\/revisions\/1980"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolbilich.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolbilich.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolbilich.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolbilich.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}