I have many patients that see me, and I typically ask if they are doing anything at home for pain. Two excellent modalities to use for pain relief are heat or ice. I see many patients in car accidents, and they have told me they are using heat. I'm delighted they are trying to manage their pain naturally, but they are surprised at the time when I say No! It would be best if you were using ice. Heat pools more blood to the area it is applied to therefore increasing inflammation. Not the best idea after a major car accident or any acute injury. Heat is typically useful for chronic conditions such as a year of constant low back pain. Ice is helpful for acute conditions such as a sprained ankle, whiplash or black eye. Another good combination of ice or heat is alternating. Alternating ice and heat have many beneficial outcomes. For example, if you alternate heat and ice every two minutes for 20 minutes, you will speed up your healing time from an injury.
Typically I have people who come after an acute low back injury perhaps by working out, car accident, or just picking that towel up off the floor. I recommend Ice for 72 hours to decrease inflammation and then alternate ice and heat. However, given this information everyone's body responds differently to these modalities. For example, patients with CRPS/RSD cannot use ice and are highly discouraged from using it. So make sure you ultimately talk to your local Chiropractor on which modality and time frames are right for you. You can also visit our office in Escondido, California and we will gladly help you get your back on the right path to healing.
Typically I have people who come after an acute low back injury perhaps by working out, car accident, or just picking that towel up off the floor. I recommend Ice for 72 hours to decrease inflammation and then alternate ice and heat. However, given this information everyone's body responds differently to these modalities. For example, patients with CRPS/RSD cannot use ice and are highly discouraged from using it. So make sure you ultimately talk to your local Chiropractor on which modality and time frames are right for you. You can also visit our office in Escondido, California and we will gladly help you get your back on the right path to healing.
I have finally decided to take the plunge and add a blog to my site. I always wanted an easy way to share information with visitors and super excited to start this journey. Keep coming back to my site and check for updates right here on the blog.
