Is it better to use heat or cold therapy when you have muscle pain?

Lots of people think heat feels better (me, too!) but most often cold therapy is the best way to get rid of your muscle pain.

However, even though I like heat, I also think ice feels great.  Sometimes it’s a bit uncomfortable but it has such a nice effect!

Note:  Only use cold therapy until you start to feel numbness.  Then it’s time for a break.

Twenty minutes on and off will work.

http://simplepainrelief.com/2010/10/11/a-wonderful-natural-pain-relief-remedy-ice-for-knots-in-your-back/

Natural pain relief is so nice; you don’t have to worry about nasty side effects or anything.

I read that ice may not actually not the very best treatment for inflammation because it slows the body’s healing response.  However, the slowed response was minimal.

(Inflammation is swelling in the tissues.)

Do you remember RICE?  (Rest, ice, compression & elevation.)  Apparently, according to research, the new plan is RCE when there is swelling.

But ice is the treatment of choice for nervy pain and when I had muscle swelling around my knee after a fall I still went with RICE.

So should you use hot packs or cold packs for pain relief?

If you use heat and feel a little worse that means it’s not the right choice.

Note:  Some people cannot use cold therapy because of medical issues like Reynaud’s Syndrome.  Their tissues do not respond normally to cold and damage could result.

Otherwise, cold therapy is the winner for nerve and muscle pain relief!