Cold and heat therapies are treatments that use cold or heat to help with pain, soreness, muscle spasms, swelling, and inflammation. There are different ways you can do cold and heat therapies. For example, you might use an ice pack for cold therapy or an electric heating pad for heat therapy.
Most people like to use cold therapy for the first few days after a procedure or surgery. And they often use it right away after an injury, such as a sprain or strain. They also tend to use cold for swelling or inflammation. Some people prefer to use heat for muscle spasms.
Either cold or heat therapy may help with arthritis pain, cancer pain, low back pain, or soreness after exercise. Try both and see what works best for you. You might also try switching between cold and heat.
If you had a procedure or surgery, talk to your doctor about which therapy they recommend.
Avoid using cold and heat therapies:
One way to safely use cold and heat therapies is to use them 10 to 20 minutes at a time, several times a day.
Experts disagree about the use of heat after an injury. Some experts:
If you have diabetes or have areas of chronic numbness, do not use heat unless your doctor has told you to do so. Lack of feeling in the area could cause a burn.
Using heat may help relieve pain or muscle spasm.
Be careful to not burn your skin. Do not apply heat directly to the skin.
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