Severna Park Chiropractic Care: Hot/Cold Therapy

In office, we have the ability to use a variety of therapies to help your spine heal. Depending on your condition, one or more of the following may be suggested:

Cryotherapy (Cold Therapy)

Purpose: Cold therapy stimulates vasoconstriction, the narrowing of blood vessels to slow down blood circulation in an area.

  • Cold therapy reduces pain and swelling after an injury.
  • It is the therapy of choice for spinal pain within the first 72 hours.
  • Cold decreases the flow of fluid into tissues and stunts the chemicals that inflame and cause pain.
  • Cold decreases swelling and bleeding and nerve ending conduction of pain impulses.
  • Deep tissue cooling with ice diminishes muscle spasm by lessening muscle contraction.

Note: If you have circulation problems, can’t feel cold or are allergic to cold, ice may not be the recommended therapy for you and may not be used.

Application: A towel is always put between you and the cold pack. Since inflammation and pain often accompany acute injury in the first 72 hours after an injury, ice only may be used. Ice decreases inflammation and numbs the pain in short spurts like 10 minutes at a time.

Severna Park chiropractic application of cold therapy

Thermotherapy (Heat Therapy)

Purpose: Heat therapy fosters vasodilation, the widening of blood vessels to bring more blood to an area.

  • Heat is typically sedating due to its ability to reduce the transmission of pain signals and ease tense muscles.
  • Heat opens blood vessels near a painful area, adding oxygen and nutrient flow to the muscles which helps heal damaged tissue.
  • Heat also decreases stiffness and increases flexibility which is extremely important in a healthy back to help you regain your quality of life.

Application: In office, hot packs may be applied to your spine with a towel around them for 10 to 30 minutes.

heat in Severna Park chiropractic office

 

Cryotherapy/Thermotherapy Combined (Hot/Cold/Hot Therapy)

Purpose: Combining cryotherapy and thermotherapy is often recommended. This generates stimulation of blood flow by drawing blood into a swollen and painful area with heat and pushing out the blood with an ice pack application.

Application: For most patients coming to our office, a 10 minute hot/10 minute cold/10 minute hot routine is used. This routine is known as the Hunting’s Effect whereby too long an ice session reflexively pushes the blood back into the inflamed area causing more pain. Hunting’s Effect is useful to the body when you may find yourself in trouble of severe cold, but not when attempting to control pain and swelling. Heat sedates muscles and joints and cold pushes out inflammation. A combination of the two is best.

 
Cryotherapy/Thermotherapy/Electrotherapy Combined

Purpose: Often this hot/cold/hot therapy is applied along with electrical stimulation which is extremely effective for your pain alleviation. This allows stimulation of blood flow by bringing blood into an inflamed and painful area with heat and pushing out the blood with ice pack application and nerve pain sedation with electrotherapy.

Application: Typically each modality with cryotherapy or thermotherapy is 10 minutes each but may vary depending on your condition.

 heat therapy with electrical stimulation
(1) heat with electroptherapy 
 
 electrical stimulation combined with ice
(2) cryotherapy with electrotherapy 
"This information and website content is not intended to diagnose, guarantee results, or recommend specific treatment or activity. It is designed to educate and inform only. Please consult your physician for a thorough examination leading to a diagnosis and well-planned treatment strategy. See more details on the DISCLAIMER page. Content is reviewed by Dr. James M. Cox I."