Is Ice Good For Pain?

Remember when you tripped and fell and sprained your ankle

? It swelled up painfully, and it hurt to walk on it. You got home, your parents put some ice on it, and what do you know, it felt a little better. This is the basis for cyrotherapy, and it has become renowned for assisting patients with injuries and chronic pains. For years, cryotherapy has been used by chiropractors as a therapy to help with back injuries and related issues as well.

What is cryotherapy?

This technique is a method in which the muscles and tissue are cooled through either ice or cooling devices such as cooling wraps (chemical and mechanical) or even metallic objects that have been frozen. Normally, ice or a cold object will be massaged into the area of pain, discomfort, or swelling, and it will assist in reducing blood-flow and nerve response to the area, reducing swelling and pain.

What cryotherapy does

When your muscles become stressed, such as during an injury or irritation, blood flows to the area as a natural reaction. Blood flow remains constant in an effort to protect that portion of the body from further injury.

This can result in constant pain and discomfort, and unfortunately, as long as the swelling remains, your body cannot heal properly. This is where the use of cryotherapy comes in to play.

Massaging the area

Ice or another cooling device is applied to the area, and a chiropractor will massage the area, pushing the excess blood away in an effort to reduce swelling. This normally takes place immediately after an injury, especially because swelling does not normally reduce on its own. Along with the cooling, the massage technique is applied to relax the area so that it will be less inclined to re-injure itself and swell up again.

Wrapping and cooling

The cyro process is very useful in reducing swelling, but application is recommended in a timely manner for injuries. Some techniques involve wrapping the area in a cooling blanket to prevent large areas of the body from becoming inflamed. This same technique is also used for venomous bite victims.

Long term use

Many chiropractors use cyrotherapy over the course of time, assisting with chronic pains. When irritation and pain are already present, most times, the use of these areas will cause them to become more irritated and swell repeatedly. Using cyrotherapy as an assisting method to chirotherapy is becoming very popular. Not only does the cooling effect reduce pain, it also reduces inflammation in the area, thus allowing your body to heal itself naturally. Over time, the therapy slowly works the muscles loose, and as they heal themselves, pains and stress begin to dissipate.

Overall, ice does actually help your body heal. When applied correctly, pains and chronic problems can be addressed and your bodys tissues can cool down long enough for your body to begin its natural healing process.

by: Jared Kohler

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