Should I apply cold or heat after an injury?

In daily life, various injuries may occur if you are not careful. In the face of these sudden injuries, the correct initial treatment method is crucial, because it can not only relieve pain, but also prevent the injury from worsening and promote wound healing. Among the many treatment methods, cold compress and hot compress are the two most common first aid measures. How to choose? Let's follow me to see.

The reason why cold and hot compresses are important is that they each have different physiological effects. Cold compresses reduce inflammation and swelling by lowering local temperature, causing blood vessels to constrict and reducing local blood flow. They can also increase the pain threshold and achieve analgesic effects. Hot compresses, on the other hand, increase local temperature, dilate blood vessels, increase blood flow, and promote metabolism, which helps relieve muscle tension and pain and increase tissue flexibility and flexibility.

What are the principles of cold and hot compress?

The reason why cold and hot compresses are important is that they each have different physiological effects. Cold compresses reduce inflammation and swelling by lowering local temperature, causing blood vessels to constrict and reducing local blood flow. They can also increase the pain threshold and achieve analgesic effects. Hot compresses, on the other hand, increase local temperature, dilate blood vessels, increase blood flow, and promote metabolism, which helps relieve muscle tension and pain and increase tissue flexibility and flexibility.

When should cold compress be applied?

Cold compress indications: Suitable for the early stage of acute injury, such as muscle strain, joint sprain, etc. A cold compress can reduce vascular permeability, relieve local congestion and bleeding, control the spread of inflammation, and reduce the pain threshold. Ice compress is mainly suitable for acute injury within 24 hours, and postoperative wound healing, and can also be used under the guidance of a doctor during the postoperative rehabilitation stage.

It is generally recommended to apply cold compresses within 24 to 48 hours after injury, for 15-20 minutes each time, with an interval of more than 2 hours.

Indications for a hot compress: Suitable for chronic injuries or the late stage of acute injuries. A hot compress can promote local blood circulation, accelerate metabolism, help absorb and dissipate inflammatory substances, and relieve muscle tension and pain. Usually, a hot compress starts 48 hours after the injury. Raising the local temperature, dilating blood vessels, increasing blood flow, and promoting metabolism help relieve muscle tension and pain and increase the flexibility and flexibility of tissues. 15-20 minutes each time, 3-4 times a day.

Hot compress operation method :

Usually, hot compresses are applied for about 30 minutes at a time, with the temperature controlled at 40-50°C, 2-3 times a day, and the time of hot compresses can be adjusted according to the doctor's instructions. The effect of wet compresses is generally better than dry compresses because the tissue permeability is good and it can reach deeper tissues. The simplest and most accessible hot compress tools at home are hot water towels and warm water baths. However, since the heat can generally only last for 5-10 minutes, the temperature can be maintained by heating in a microwave oven or other methods.

Ice compress operation method :

Do it every 2-3 hours. If swelling, pain, or fever is obvious, do it every 1-2 hours. Each ice compress should last 15-20 minutes. Remember that the ice compress time should not be too long, otherwise, it will cause reflex dilation of blood vessels, which will be counterproductive.

How to choose the duration and frequency of ice application?

That the duration of each ice compress be controlled within 15-20 minutes. In the early stage of injury, when the swelling is severe, you can also apply ice compresses multiple times a day, 3-4 times a day, with an interval of 2-3 hours between each time. The shortest interval is recommended to be no less than one hour.

There are things to pay attention to when applying heat and ice. If you don't know this knowledge and simply apply ice, it may not only fail to achieve the therapeutic effect but may aggravate the condition or even cause serious adverse reactions. I hope that today's sharing can deepen your understanding of ice. If you need professional treatment guidance, you are welcome to contact us.

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Editor: kiki Jia