Get Pain Relief As Easy As 1 2 3
Apply gel to skin
Place a small amount of gel on affected area, rub it in for 10-15 seconds, then let it sit.
Soothing sensation
Shortly after applying the gel you will feel a pleasant sensation of cold as it instantly starts to work.
This will help you relax and relieve the pain.
Experience the benefits!
One application help relieve pain for up to a full day providing you with long-lasting relief without any harmful side effects.
Whats inside
Side Effects And Risks Of Ice Baths
The most noticeable side effect of an ice bath is feeling very cold when you immerse your body in the cold water. But beyond this superficial side effect, there are some other risks to consider.
The primary risk of an ice bath applies to people who have a preexisting cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure, explains Gardner.
The decrease in core temperature and the immersion in ice constricts blood vessels and slows the flow of blood in the body, he says. This can be dangerous if you have decreased blood flow, which Gardner says places you at risk for cardiac arrest or stroke.
Another risk that may happen is hypothermia, especially if youre submerged in the ice bath for too long.
People with type 1 and type 2 diabetes also need to be careful with ice baths since theyre both
If youre ready to take the plunge, there are a few things you should know before submerging your body in ice.
Temperature of ice bath
The temperature of an ice bath, says Gardner, needs to be approximately 1015° Celsius or 5059° Fahrenheit.
Time in ice bath
Spending too much time in an ice bath can have adverse consequences. Thats why you should limit your time to no longer than 10 to 15 minutes.
Body exposure
Gardner says its generally recommended to immerse your entire body in the ice bath to gain the best effect of blood vessel constriction.
However, to start out, you may want to first expose your feet and lower legs. As you get comfortable, you can move toward your chest.
At-home use
Hydrotherapy For Sciatica Modalities
The following methods of care can be used to impart the healing ability of water to patients with lower back and leg pain. While these therapies are all symptomatic, most are well known to provide numerous beneficial effects, without any risks whatsoever:
Hot tubs and cool tubs can provide soothing relaxation of soft tissues and might be particularly effective for treating muscular forms of pseudo-sciatica, such as piriformis syndrome.
Ice baths can have virtually immediate anti-inflammatory effects. Ice might also help to provide analgesia for patients with all manner of sciatic nerve pain problems.
Pressurized water sources, such as Jacuzzi tubs, can be used to provide soothing or invigorating massage. Best of all, the patient can apply the jet to whatever part of their anatomy that they choose for maximum enjoyment.
Swimming for sciatica is a great form of exercise that can provide many tangible health effects besides enacting marked pain relief. Swimming is one of the best all-around forms of physical activity for the entire body.
Aquatherapy consists of physical therapy activities that are performed in or under the water in heated pools. The use of water makes PT possible for many patients who would otherwise be contraindicated, due to the pain elicited by strenuous exertion. In the water, gravity and impact are minimized, helping patients to move freely and fearlessly for optimal benefit.
Dont Miss: Is Ra Curable
Read Also: How Long Can An Arthritis Flare Up Last
When To Seek Treatment For Your Arthritis
Arthritis doesnt have to spell the end of an active life. If you are experiencing worrisome symptoms or persistent pain, the renowned arthritis specialists at Summit Orthopedics can help. We work with you to confirm a diagnosis and develop an appropriate conservative treatment plan. If nonsurgical treatments fail to support your lifestyle goals, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeons will consult with you and discuss appropriate surgical options. Summit is home to innovative joint replacement options. Our Vadnais Heights Surgery Center is one of only two surgery centers nationally to receive The Joint Commissions Advanced Certification for Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement.
Start your journey to healthier joints. Find your arthritis expert, request an appointment online, or call us at to schedule a consultation.
Summit has convenient locations across the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, serving Minnesota and western Wisconsin. We have state-of-the-art centers for comprehensive orthopedic care in Eagan, MN, Plymouth, MN, Vadnais Heights, MN, and Woodbury, MN, as well as additional community clinics throughout the metro and southern Minnesota.
Heat Therapy For Rheumatoid Arthritis
Heat helps improve your pain tolerance and relaxes muscles, both of which can reduce the pain of rheumatoid arthritis. Heat treatment remains a standard part of the physical therapists practice. But you dont need to visit a physical therapist to reap the benefits of heat therapy. Here are some techniques you can use at home.
Warm bath or shower. A hot tub or a bathtub equipped with water jets can closely duplicate the warm-water massage of whirlpool baths used by professionalsfor most people, the bathtub works nearly as well. Soaking for 15 to 20 minutes in a warm bath allows the weight-bearing muscles to relax.
A warm shower can also help lessen the stiffness of rheumatoid arthritis. You can upgrade your shower with an adjustable shower-head massager thats inexpensive and easy to install. It should deliver a steady, fine spray or a pulsing stream, usually with a few options in between.
After a warm shower or bath, dress warmly to prolong the benefit.
Paraffin bath. Some therapists recommend a paraffin bath. You dip your hands or feet into wax melted in an electric appliance that maintains a safe temperature. After the wax hardens, the therapist wraps the treated area in a plastic sheet and blanket to retain the heat. Treatments generally take about 20 minutes, after which the wax is peeled off. Paraffin bath kits are also available for home use, but talk with your physical therapist for recommendations and cautions before you buy one.
Also Check: How Effective Is Humira For Rheumatoid Arthritis
The Donts Of Applying Hot Packs For Arthritis
- Now, it isnt difficult to guess that heat can make acute inflammation worse. Heat should NOT be applied in acute pain, acute injuries, and in bleeding, even when these occur to an arthritic joint. Applying heat to a fresh injury will only worsen the pain.
- Do not use heat if you have any open wounds or substantial bruises
- Not recommended for patients with diabetes
Note: Tiger balms and other capsaicin-containing topical ointments are only spicy that is they make you feel hot they do not increase heat physiologically. They distract our mind from pain they do not affect pain.
Tips For Using Heat Therapy For Ra
- Use safe heat sources that dont let the temperature get scalding, including hot towels, hot tubs, showers, or baths, hot water bottles, microwaveable hot pads, and electric heating pads.
- To prevent burns, do not use heat for excessive lengths of time .
- When using heating pads or hot water bottles, place a towel or cloth on your skin first, to prevent direct contact with the heat source.
- Be careful to check your skin for redness often while applying heat, and remove the heat source if redness occurs.
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions when using a paraffin bath device.
Recommended Reading: What Medicine Is Used For Arthritis
Using Both Heat And Ice
In some situations, applying both ice and heat to your joint may be helpful. Called contrast therapy, this treatment involves alternating between icing and heating a joint. While this option has traditionally been utilized after exercise or participating in a sporting event to aid in recovery, it may be helpful for more chronic conditions as well. This style of treatment can be performed using hot and cold packs or by alternately submerging the knee in hot and cold water.
While individuals who received contrast therapy subjectively reported less overall soreness and muscular fatigue, the research is still mixed. The current evidence is lacking on whether this treatment is helpful in managing the pain associated with a knee injury or in reducing your inflammation levels.
When To Use Heat For Joint Pain
Heat tends to be more beneficial for the types of everyday joint pain, such as stiffness, that people with arthritis experience. You can use dry heat, like from a heating pad, or moist heat, like from a moist towel warmed up in the microwave for 20 to 60 seconds. Moist heat tends to transfer through the skin more quickly and efficiently, Dr. Torres-Panchame says.
How to Use Heat for Joint Pain
As a guideline, dont apply heat to an area of your body for more than 20 minutes at a time or you could risk burning your skin. As with ice, dont put a heated object on your skin without some kind of protective barrier, like a cloth or towel. Heat also can follow ice therapy once the cold brings down swelling and inflammation, Dr. Torres-Panchame says.
As with ice, being careful and attentive is important to prevent injury. If something feels too warm, then probably its too warm, Dr. Bose says. So the temperature needs to be comfortable, ideally, not too hot, because it can burn your skin.
Types of Heat Therapy
Safety with Heat Therapy
Check your skin after five minutes to make sure there are no signs of burns and check again a few times while using heat, Dr. Torres-Panchame says. If you start seeing blisters forming, that is too hot. You need to remove the heat or else you can cause skin damage, she said.
This is especially important for people who have neuropathy or any other condition that makes them less sensitive to touch and temperature.
Don’t Miss: What Is Crippling Arthritis Called
S Of Using Heat Therapy
People can choose a method of heat therapy that works for them. Different ways to use heat include:
- Warm shower: Taking a long, warm shower may help ease the joints, increase range of motion, and reduce stiffness. A person can aim for a shower temperature of 92100°F .
- Damp, warm compress: A person can dampen a clean towel and heat it in a microwave, so the temperature feels comfortable to apply to affected areas.
- Warm bath: Individuals can soak in a warm bath for around 20 minutes. They can also try adding magnesium sulfate crystals, or Epsom salts, to increase magnesium levels. Magnesium is an important mineral for bone and heart health.
- Heating pads or hot water bottle: Someone can use a moist heating pad or fill a hot water bottle and leave it on the affected area while resting or sitting down.
- Paraffin wax: A person can melt paraffin wax, and after checking it is not too hot, dip the hands, feet, or any aching joint into the wax. They should wait for the wax to cool and harden before peeling off.
- Warm pool: People can swim or exercise in a warm pool 23 times per week to increase flexibility and range of motion.
Data Collection And Analysis
The above search strategy identified a set of potentially relevant articles which were subsequently retrieved for review. These trials were assessed by two independent reviewers . Studies were selected to include in the review according to the inclusion criteria.
From each included trial, we collected information regarding the trial design, patient characteristics, dosages and treatment periods, baseline and end of study outcomes. Data concerning details of the studied population, intervention and outcomes were extracted using predetermined extraction forms by two independent reviewers . Differences in data extraction were resolved by referring back to the original article and establishing consensus. A third reviewer was consulted to help resolve differences. When necessary, information was sought from the authors of the primary studies.
This review was originally conducted to develop clinical practice guidelines for OA. They were adopted by a Panel of Experts: The Ottawa Panel on March 2003
Statistic analysis Outcomes were continuous in nature . Where pooling of data from different trials was possible, these outcomes were analyzed by a weighted mean difference using a fixed effects model. For dichotomous data, relative risks were used. The effect measured in an individual trial is weighted by the amount of variability about the mean in that study for that outcome. Graphical data were used in cases where table data were not available.
You May Like: Can Rheumatoid Arthritis Cause Leg Pain
Ice Vs Heat For Injuries: How Do I Know Which Is Best
Home / News / Ice vs. Heat for Injuries: How Do I Know Which Is Best?
Everyone experiences pain. Whether its a headache, a torn ligament, a sprained ankle or sore muscles, pain is just a fact of life for many people. Pain is our bodys way of telling us when something is wrong, whether its a new injury, a medical condition or the result of a long day on our feet. However, pain is not something anyone needs to tolerate.
Whatever the reason for pain, one undeniable fact remains: No one wants to be in pain. And, while modern medicine has produced a lot of reliable medications that are designed to help with various levels of pain, its not always necessary, or appropriate, to rely solely on medication to correct the problem.
Thats where ice and heat therapies come in. Depending on the source of your pain arthritis, a new injury or a grueling workout ice, heat or both can go a long way toward relieving your pain and improving the overall quality of your life.
Also Check: What Does Arthritic Changes Mean
Cold Water Therapy And Its Benefits
Cold water therapy or cold hydrotherapy is a technique meant for the treatment of various health conditions or acquire health advantages through water that is kept at 15 degree Celsius. The advantages of cold water therapy are many. Is Ice Bath Good For Arthritis
A couple of are given listed below
- Cold water assists to reduce inflammation of the body,
- It is likewise understood to aid in speeding up the metabolic process of the body.
- It helps to flush the bacteria and toxins from the body by providing stimulus for the lymphatic system in our bodies.
- It assists in enhancing the body immune system of the body, improves blood circulation in the body.
- It is likewise known to enhance sleep pattern and energy levels.
All in all it is extensively thought about as a useful practice for several purposes. Although it may not be for everybody, people who have actually experienced it swear by its effectiveness and many advantages.
You May Like: Can You Have Rheumatoid Arthritis In Your Back
Recommended Reading: Does Arthritis Cause Lower Back Pain
Where Are Steroid Injections Given
Its not like getting a flu shot, where you roll up your sleeve and present your arm. The steroid injection is given in the place where the pain radiates from. Locations such as the CMC , wrist, elbow, shoulder, knee, ankle, and big toe are common locations. For the spine and hip, doctors often use imaging, such as ultrasound for precise placement of the injection. This can help improve the accuracy of where the injection is placed, which can improve the effectiveness.
How To Apply Hot And Cold For Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain
Both hot and cold care are safe to apply when used correctly. Still, you may want to talk to your doctor, rheumatologist, or additional health care provider to see what they recommend. Ask about specific products and application methods. You may need to try several different options find the ones that work best for you.
Read Also: What Are Some Symptoms Of Arthritis
Whats Better To Treat Your Knee: Ice Or Heat
Ice and heat are the best treatment combination for you if:
- Youre looking to boost the natural power of pain relief and healing in your body.
- You dont want to repeatedly pay the cost of injections, medications, hospital visits or surgery.
- You want to help reduce the risk of re-injury, pain or swelling in your knee.
- You want to control your own treatment and healing at home, on your own time.
- Youre looking for a tried, tested, and true method of healingthats been used for centuries and has worked for countless other knee pain sufferers.
How to Use Superior Temperature Treatments to Heal & Relieve Pain from Your Knee Injury!
Combining cold and warmth is a simple yet effective way to get immediate pain relief and promote long-term healing. In your lifetime youve probably had your mom, family doctor, nurse, surgeon or physical therapist tell you to use ice right after youre injured and something warm from time to time once the swellings gone down. Its a simple yet very effective way to relieve pain and promote healing in your knee.
Knee injuries can happen to anyone, right now there are thousands of doctors and physical therapists dealing with patients that require a solution to treat their knee injury fast and heal it .
You May Like: Can I Regrow Cartilage In My Knee
How To Treat Joint Pain
Whether to use a hot or cold treatment to provide relief depends on the source of the pain.
Heat increases blood flow to an affected area, which promotes healing and relaxes muscle spasms. Cold restricts blood flow, reducing swelling and inflammation. It also numbs pain around the affected area.
Generally speaking, ice is better for inflammatory pain. You can tell if a joint is inflamed if its red, swollen, or warm to the touch. Relieve inflamed joints by applying a gel ice pack, cold pack, or even a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a T-shirt to the injured area.
For joint pain not caused by inflammation such as osteoarthritis opt for heat. The Arthritis Foundation recommends placing a moist heating pad wrapped in a layer of cloth on the affected joint or soaking it in a warm bath. Heat treatments also can be effective for rheumatoid arthritis when youre not having a flare-up.
Donât Miss: Arthritis At 30 Symptoms
Read Also: Can You Get Arthritis In An Artificial Knee