Heat and cold therapy are commonly used for a variety of conditions. While it is a simple approach, the proper use of heat and cold therapy can be used to help relieve pain and sore muscles, treat acute injuries, and promote circulation.
Benefits of heat therapy include:
- Increases blood flow and the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles
- Stimulates the sensory receptors in the skin, which helps to decrease transmissions of pain signals to the brain and partially relieve the discomfort
- Facilitates stretching the soft tissues including muscles, connective tissue, and adhesions
Benefits of cold therapy include:
- Reduces swelling following a traumatic injury
- Decreases inflammation
- Produces a numbing effect than can reduce pain
- Decreases blood flow to an area that can help reduce pain
- Lessens the likelihood of muscle spasms