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When to Use Ice for Back Pain – Generally speaking, ice is better than heat for back pain that may be caused by an acute injury. The Cleveland Clinic says that, in the battle of back pain, “Ice wins to shut down swelling, inflammation and pain early on where heat may actually make an injury worse.” So if you pulled a muscle this morning while working in the garden, apply ice quickly (or a bag of frozen vegetables)!

What is best for lower back pain heat or cold?

Which is best for you? –

In regard to acute back pain, or pain you experience due to a direct injury, it is best to start with ice therapy. An acute injury is one that lasts less than a 4-week duration. By using ice first, you are lowering your body’s temperature which will reduce inflammation and swelling, constrict blood vessels and help numb the area. After doing ice therapy first, and once the inflammation has been reduced, switch to heat therapy. Using heat therapy will improve the flexibility of soft tissues, movement of muscles, and overall functionality of the injured area. Once you’ve changed to heat therapy, apply on and off for several hours, even days to continue improving your tissue.

When addressing chronic back pain – back pain that lasts more than a 4-week duration, you want to use heat therapy that provides constant warmth to the injured area. Examples of this include using a heating pad or a heating adhesive wrap that lays over the area, providing several hours of low-level heat therapy. When using this technique, make sure to monitor how long you are applying heat. Prolonged exposure to heat can lead to skin irritations and potentially skin damage.

Another reason to consider using ice and heat therapy is after a workout or after putting extensive strain on your lower back. After completing a workout, or any type of physical movement we may start to experience soreness that spreads in to our back. This soreness can sometimes last several days long. When you first notice your soreness expanding to your lower back, it is important to start ice therapy immediately. This should reduce tissue damage, inflammation and pain. If the soreness continues after one day, switch to heat therapy. Switching to heat therapy should encourage tissue healing.

Heat and Ice Therapy can both be extremely beneficial when used correctly. These techniques become even more impactful when they become a part of our daily routine. Several ways we can incorporate the use of these therapies into our everyday lives is by taking a hot bath, laying on a heating pad at night before bed, applying a cold compress before you start your day, using coolant sprays like Icy Hot, or carrying heat or ice packs with you so you can use them while driving or at work.

Can heat aggravate lower back pain?

When Heat Therapy Is NOT the Answer – There are times when applying heat will make your discomfort worse or when ice therapy is a better option (though this is rarely the case for back pain). If you have truly pulled or strained your lower back muscles, applying heat will cause inflammation.

1. Heating inflamed tissues will make your pain worse and certainly won’t help things get better any time soon.
2. Another scenario when heat therapy is not a good idea is if you are already sweating.
3. Adding even more heat can come across as a threat signal to your brain, prompting it to up your pain response.

This seems kind of obvious, but you should not apply heat to an open wound or infected tissue. Heat therapy should also be avoided when treating:

• diabetes
• dermatitis
• deep vein thrombosis
• peripheral vascular disease

Is a heating pad good for lower back pain?

Why Heating Pads – The main reason heating pads and heat therapy are so effective for back pain is because they increase circulation. When this happens, oxygen and nutrients make their way to the muscles and joints. Not only can better circulation resolve muscle damage, it can also relieve back stiffness and inflammation.

1. Although any type of heat has the potential to improve back pain, heating pads are likely the most convenient option.
2. In addition to their portability, heating pads are electric, making them ideal for use just anywhere in your home.
3. While hot baths may ease your back pain as well, they do come with a caveat.

It can be a real challenge to maintain the hot water temperature as the water will gradually cool down and lose its effectiveness. Heating pads resolve this problem because they provide heat flow continuously. As long as you keep them on, they can work their magic.

Should you heat or cool back pain?

1. Use cold first and then apply heat for acute back pain. – When your back pain is acute (less than a 4-week duration) and/or occurs due to a direct injury, use cold therapy first.2 Dehghan M, Farahbod F. The efficacy of thermotherapy and cryotherapy on pain relief in patients with acute low back pain, a clinical trial study. J Clin Diagn Res.2014;8(9):LC01–LC4.

Doi:10.7860/JCDR/2014/7404.4818 Lowering the body temperature will help constrict the blood vessels, reduce swelling, decrease inflammation, and cause a numbing effect.1 Malanga GA, Yan N, Stark J. Mechanisms and efficacy of heat and cold therapies for musculoskeletal injury. Postgraduate Medicine.2014;127(1):57-65.

doi:10.1080/00325481.2015.992719, 3 Garra G, Singer AJ, Leno R, et al. Heat or Cold Packs for Neck and Back Strain: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Efficacy. Academic Emergency Medicine.2010;17(5):484-489. doi:10.1111/j.1553-2712.2010.00735.x See Ice Packs for Back Pain Relief Once the inflammation has subsided, use heat therapy.

1. When you apply heat, it improves the flexibility of soft tissues, movement of muscles, and overall functioning of the back.
2. The local warmth stimulates blood circulation in your lower back, which in turn brings healing nutrients to the injured tissues.
3. See How to Apply Heat Therapy It is also advised to continue using heat therapy intermittently for several hours or days in order to improve tissue healing and prevent recurrence of pain.2 Dehghan M, Farahbod F.

The efficacy of thermotherapy and cryotherapy on pain relief in patients with acute low back pain, a clinical trial study. J Clin Diagn Res.2014;8(9):LC01–LC4. doi:10.7860/JCDR/2014/7404.4818

How long should you heat lower back pain?

Follow these suggestions if you would like to try heat or cold for low back pain. Apply heat for 15 to 20 minutes at a time. Moist heat (hot packs, baths, showers) works better than dry heat. Try an all-day heat wrap, available in pharmacies.

Is dry heat or moist heat better for back pain?

Overview – There is some evidence that heat will help decrease low back pain. There is little proof that cold will help. footnote 1 But some people do find that heat or cold help them. Follow these suggestions if you would like to try heat or cold for low back pain. Heat to relieve low back pain

• Apply heat for 15 to 20 minutes at a time. Moist heat (hot packs, baths, showers) works better than dry heat.
• Try an all-day heat wrap, available in pharmacies.
• If you are using an electric heating pad, avoid falling asleep while the pad is on. If you think you might fall asleep, set an alarm clock to go off in 20 minutes. Use heating pads set on low or medium, never on high.

Ice to relieve low back pain Ice and cold packs can relieve pain, swelling, and inflammation from injuries and other conditions such as arthritis, Use either a commercial cold pack or:

• An ice towel. Wet a towel with cold water, and squeeze it until it is just damp. Fold the towel, place it in a plastic bag, and freeze it for 15 minutes. Remove the towel from the bag, and place it on the affected area.
• An ice pack. Put about 1 lb (0.45 kg) of ice in a plastic bag. Add water to barely cover the ice. Squeeze the air out of the bag and seal it. Wrap the bag in a wet towel and apply it to the affected area.
• A homemade slush pack. Mix 3 cup (709.78 mL) water and 1 cup (236.59 mL) denatured alcohol in a freezer bag. Seal the bag, and place it in freezer until slush forms. Refreeze the bag when the slush melts.
• A bag of frozen vegetables.
• An ice cup. Fill a paper cup two-thirds full with water, and freeze it until it is solid ice. Before use, peel back enough paper to expose some of the ice. Rub the ice over the affected area for 3 to 5 minutes.

Ice the area at least 3 times a day. For the first 72 hours (3 days), ice for 10 minutes once an hour the first day, then every 2 to 3 hours. After that, a good pattern is to ice for 10 to 15 minutes 3 times a day: in the morning, in the late afternoon after work or school, and about a half hour before bedtime.

1. Also ice after any prolonged activity or vigorous exercise.
2. Always keep a damp cloth between your skin and the cold pack, and press firmly against all the curves of the affected area.
3. Do not apply ice for longer than 15 to 20 minutes at a time.
4. And do not fall asleep with the ice on your skin.
5. Try alternating You may also want to try switching between heat and cold.

Use heat for 15 to 20 minutes, then a few hours later use ice for 10 to 15 minutes.

Is dry heat better than moist heat for back pain?

What are the Benefits of Moist Heat? – In comparison to dry heat (electric heating pads and heat wraps), moist heat can penetrate the skin faster and deeper, getting right to the muscle—the root of your pain. A study comparing the two types of heat therapy showed a greater pain reduction with moist heat in less time than dry heat.

Is dry heat or moist heat better for back pain?

Overview – There is some evidence that heat will help decrease low back pain. There is little proof that cold will help. footnote 1 But some people do find that heat or cold help them. Follow these suggestions if you would like to try heat or cold for low back pain. Heat to relieve low back pain

• Apply heat for 15 to 20 minutes at a time. Moist heat (hot packs, baths, showers) works better than dry heat.
• Try an all-day heat wrap, available in pharmacies.
• If you are using an electric heating pad, avoid falling asleep while the pad is on. If you think you might fall asleep, set an alarm clock to go off in 20 minutes. Use heating pads set on low or medium, never on high.

Ice to relieve low back pain Ice and cold packs can relieve pain, swelling, and inflammation from injuries and other conditions such as arthritis, Use either a commercial cold pack or:

• An ice towel. Wet a towel with cold water, and squeeze it until it is just damp. Fold the towel, place it in a plastic bag, and freeze it for 15 minutes. Remove the towel from the bag, and place it on the affected area.
• An ice pack. Put about 1 lb (0.45 kg) of ice in a plastic bag. Add water to barely cover the ice. Squeeze the air out of the bag and seal it. Wrap the bag in a wet towel and apply it to the affected area.
• A homemade slush pack. Mix 3 cup (709.78 mL) water and 1 cup (236.59 mL) denatured alcohol in a freezer bag. Seal the bag, and place it in freezer until slush forms. Refreeze the bag when the slush melts.
• A bag of frozen vegetables.
• An ice cup. Fill a paper cup two-thirds full with water, and freeze it until it is solid ice. Before use, peel back enough paper to expose some of the ice. Rub the ice over the affected area for 3 to 5 minutes.

Ice the area at least 3 times a day. For the first 72 hours (3 days), ice for 10 minutes once an hour the first day, then every 2 to 3 hours. After that, a good pattern is to ice for 10 to 15 minutes 3 times a day: in the morning, in the late afternoon after work or school, and about a half hour before bedtime.

Also ice after any prolonged activity or vigorous exercise. Always keep a damp cloth between your skin and the cold pack, and press firmly against all the curves of the affected area. Do not apply ice for longer than 15 to 20 minutes at a time. And do not fall asleep with the ice on your skin. Try alternating You may also want to try switching between heat and cold.

Use heat for 15 to 20 minutes, then a few hours later use ice for 10 to 15 minutes.