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Woman applying ice to her knee

Heat or Ice? Which is Better for Your Pain?

Have you ever found yourself with an ache or pain wondering, “Should I apply heat or ice?” Here we’ll explain which situations call for heat and which call for ice, as well as what to do if neither is helping.

First off, a general rule of thumb is to use ice for recent, acute injuries that are less than 6 weeks old and heat for long-term injuries that have been persisting for over 6 weeks. The reason is ice constricts blood vessels, numbing pain and reducing inflammation, which is what you need for a new injury. Heat, on the other hand, increases blood flow to relax tight muscles and aching joints. Heat can increase inflammation in certain injuries, so give us a call if you are unsure which to use for your particular injury.

Heat is often best for:

  • Arthritis
  • Headaches caused by neck spasms
  • Muscle spasms
  • Tendinosis
  • Relieving stiffness of strains and sprains after inflammation has resolved

Ice is best for:

  • New injuries
  • Strains and sprains
  • Sports injuries
  • Throbbing headaches
  • Gout flare-ups
  • Tendinitis (commonly in the shoulder, elbow, knee, and wrist)

Applying Heat and Ice

A bag of frozen peas or corn makes a great ice pack that molds to the injured area. Conversely, a warm bath, heat wrap, or heating pad can be used for heat therapy.

Apply heat or ice for 20 minutes at a time, taking a break of at least 20 minutes in between sessions. Remove the heat or ice if it becomes uncomfortable and do not apply ice directly to the skin, wrap it in a lightweight cloth or towel.

When the Pain Isn’t Improving

If at-home heat or ice therapy isn’t improving your condition, give us a call. We’ll get you in for a visit to see if we can help.

1 Join the Conversation

  1. Harry James says
    Dec 02, 2020 at 4:15 PM

    I agree with you regarding ice vs heat. Most people I know still go to heat for every thing as it feels better. When I tell them They should be using ice they will say they know but that the heat feels better. I then tell them I am reporting them to Dr VonBergen.

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