Ice or Heat for Pain Relief?

When working with patients in the office, one of the most common questions I get is whether they should put ice or heat on the painful area. Not only that, but usually there is uncertainty about how long to use it. When debating the use of temperature regulation to help pain and inflammation, consider the following guidelines:

“Hot” Pain vs. “Cold” Pain

Sometimes heat is a great therapy of choice. Other times, it may be better to use cold therapy.

When you describe your back pain, what words come to mind? Words like sharp, shooting, stabbing, recent, inflamed, or swollen, then those are “hot” pain words and you would likely benefit from applying cold temperature onto the area. Contrastingly, words like chronic, achy, sore and stiff are “cold” words and you would likely benefit from applying hot temperature onto the area.

How Long?

As a general guideline, I recommend patients apply temperature therapy for up to 15 minutes per hour. Overall, that allows enough time to let the tissues respond, while still not getting too much of a good thing.

Listen to Your Body

I never want patients to take anyone’s recommendations “just because I say so”. Think for yourself. Your body is smarter than you might think. It’s also not like anyone else’s body, so pay attention to it. If it’s saying “I need more heat/ice” or “ok, that’s just about enough of that”…listen.

If you are confused about what signals your body is sending you, or if you want some more clarification on where to start, call us at 317-598-5221. As schedule permits, I would be happy to have a conversation with you to help clarify matters.

– Dr. Scott Minton