Back Pain Ice Or Heat Therapy

Both heat and ice are pain-relieving in back pain, but when do you use which therapy?

Heat therapy - Heat as a source of pain relief speaks because it is cheap and easy to apply. In case of back pain, you can use heat under different forms, for example, gels, a hot bath, a cherry pit pillow, etc. All these forms of heat therapy work according to the same principle.

Benefits

• Heat causes the blood vessels to expand. As a result, more blood flows to the back muscles so that they recover faster.
• Heat stimulates the receptors in the skin. For example, fewer pain signals go to the brain, so you have less pain.
• The soft structures around the spine (muscles, ligaments, and joints) relax through heat so that your back is less stiff and you have less pain.

Scientifically proven?
Heat can help with back pain where you have painful, tense muscles. This occurs after strenuous exercise, but also when your muscles want to relieve an underlying damaged structure, for example, an intervertebral disc, by tightening up. Back pain is often accompanied by muscle pain. Never use heat therapy as a sole therapy. It is only a form of pain relief. Afterward, pay attention to the problem yourself, for example, by doing muscle-strengthening exercises, learning to lift and lift in a good way, etc. The effect of heat is not proven in chronic back pain.

When not to use?
Do not use heat when the back is swollen or warm to the touch. Then you use better ice to reduce the swelling. Also do not use with open wounds, diabetes, and skin diseases. Ask your attending doctor about high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases.

In what form?
Keeping the back warm for 15 to 20 minutes already helps with moderate pain. If you have more severe back pain, you should keep your back at least 30 minutes to 2 hours warm. You can use different sources of heat for this:

• a hot water bottle stays warm for 20 to 30 minutes
• a hot pack (with gel) warms you up in the microwave and stays warm for up to 30 minutes
• warm bath, bubble bath, sauna, steam bath: this feels comfortable and relaxes your muscles. In a bubble bath, your muscles are even lightly massaged.
• ointment
• heat wraps: wrap around the back under the clothes and stay warm for a few hours
• electric heat pad: plug into the socket and remain warm indefinitely

Ice therapy - Applying ice to a sore spot is a known and important first aid measure. Ice is easy to apply and it is also cheap.

Benefits

• Ice reduces swelling and inflammation by allowing the blood vessels to contract locally. The blood flow, therefore, decreases temporarily.
• Ice works, like heat, an anesthetic: it blocks the pain signals.

Does it work?
Ice is pain-relieving and de-swelling. It is not clear whether it works effectively with back pain. It can not hurt at all. Use ice if necessary during the first two days after the onset of back pain. After two days you switch to heat therapy.

In what form?
Keeping the back ice for 15 to 20 minutes should be enough. Never apply the ice directly to the skin. Ice therapy is best used in the form of an ice pack or spray.