COLD VS HEAT

 

The use of cold vs. heat is an important subject because they have opposite reactions in the body.  Using the wrong one will aggravate an injury, while using the correct one can greatly aid in your treatment.  You will even get conflicting advice from doctors.  Who do you believe? 

 

When you are finished with this chapter you will have confidence that you are using the correct treatment.

 

Heat treatment and ice treatment have opposite reactions.  Heat is relaxing to muscles, but it will increase swelling and inflammation (such as the inflammation associated with tendonitis.)  Ice shrinks the swelling and inflammation, but it will further tighten up a muscle spasm.  Making things worse is that many areas of the body the muscles overlap with the tendons.  So which one should you use?

 

The answer is different for different conditions and different area of the body.

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