Ice Or Heat

You’ve just finished a great workout, you feel sore but yet you feel like you’ve achieved something. For the rest of the day, you’re in a happy mood after a good days training. All is good in the world. You go to bed looking forward to your next day’s training.

Then the next morning arrives, and all is not well in the world. We’ve all been there – whether it be your legs, arms or chest, you’re in agony. What you’re feeling is a perfectly normal process called DOMS – Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness or a knot/swelling in your muscle. In this scenario, most of us are guilty of slapping on some deep heat or a similar heat treatment, or opting for a bag of frozen peas or deep freeze. While both treatments are suitable in the right scenario, using the incorrect treatment increases the amount of time it takes to recover and increasing the risk of further pain.

This article will provide you with a short explanation of which treatment will work best for you and get you back to 100% faster.

Heat

Heat is used for the relief of muscle soreness and stress. When you say that you have ‘knots’ in your muscle, you are actually talking about having a trigger point in your muscle. A trigger point is a small patch of contracted muscle tissue in a spasm. Trigger points are likely to be the most common cause of pains and aches, for which heat is a very good therapy.

Heat works by helping your muscle to relax. Most gym users would complain of general muscle soreness and fatigue after a few consecutive days of working out. This would cause the muscle to always be in a state of stress and exhaustion. Heat will help by increasing the circulation of blood and helping to wash away some of the waste products produced by exercise, such as lactic acid. This flush of acid and recirculation of blood will bring extra supply of blood rich in oxygen and nutrients to the area of pain and/or stiffness.

Ice

If your injury is inflamed or swollen, ice will be the most relevant treatment for you to aid in recovery. Ice treatments will restrict the flow of blood to the applied area. Inflammation normally presents itself as a pain or ache that increases with rest and reduces with movement or a hot shower. Ice will help here by restricting the flow of blood the applied area and in the closing of small blood vessels, thus restricting the amount of swelling that will occur, along with the calming of the nerves in the area.

Ice should be used in the first 72 hours after the stiffness or injury. If the symptoms stay the same in these 72 hours, you should avoid the use of heat treatments. When using ice, apply it for 15 minutes every 90 – 120 minutes. If using ice cubes or a pack of frozen vegetables, avoid direct contact with the skin as this can be quite harmful to the skin. Wrap the ice/vegetables in a thin towel before applying.

If you suffer from any circulation problems, be wary about the use of ice products and consult your doctor regarding the issue.