But have you ever stopped to considerwhyice is useful in these situations?
However, the effects that heat and cold have on your body are very different on a cellular level.
How do ice and heat help with an injury?
Both hot and cold temperatures have a primary impact on blood flow and your blood vessels.
What kind of temperature to use depends on what your body needs in the moment.
Heat will improve the elasticity of the tissues, which thenrelaxes musclesand reduces tension.
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Often with an injury, muscles in the area will tighten up to protect it.
Heat can help with relaxing those muscles and restoring appropriate tension.
This reduces inflammation and temporarily desensitizes the nerves in the area, providing another avenue of pain relief.
Cold is particularly useful for acute injuries that cause swelling, like sprained ankles.
Its Amazing How Its All Connected.
Heat is ideal for tightness, stiffness, and pain that occurs because of those two things.
Thats why heat eases chronic pain and period cramps, for some people.
Heat has also been shown to be effective in reducing delayed onset muscle soreness from a hard workout.
Essentially, if theres tightness or stiffness, warming up the spot could increase mobility.
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What you dont want to do is use heat on a recent injury, like a sprained ankle.
Because heat increases blood flow, it could also increase swellingwhich you dont want.
When is it best to use cold to treat an injury?
They can help steer you in the right directionso you might get back on your feet faster.
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