Hot vs Cold Therapy: What To Do The First 24 Hours After A Sports Injury

Speeding Up Recovery After A Sports Injury

Most athletes, whether professional or recreational, has experienced a sports injury. When an injury occurs, the remedies used in the first 24 hours can impact how easily a person recovers as well as dictate how much discomfort will be experienced. This guide will highlight best practices for treating a sports injury with both hot and cold therapy.

Hot or cold: which is best?

Most people are familiar with hot and cold therapies to treat injuries, but may not be aware of when is the best time to use either method. Cold treatments are ideal for decreasing blood flow and reducing inflammation, swelling, and the risk of tissue damage. Experts recommend that therapies such as cold packs be applied within 48 hours after an injury has occurred. In contrast, hot treatments are ideal for improving blood flow and encouraging muscle relaxation. Remedies that rely on hot therapy can be used consistently for chronic forms of pain such as back, neck, or muscle discomfort.

When to use cold therapy

Immediately after an injury, cold therapy should be applied to reduce swelling. But another benefit of cold treatment is pain reduction. Assuming that the pain or injury isn’t severe, an athlete can rely on an ice pack to help numb the injured area and soothe discomfort without the need for medications. Keep in mind that except for an ice massage, people should not place ice directly on the skin. This is especially true for spinal injuries. Instead, use a towel or cloth to act as a barrier.

Popular cold therapies include:

• Cold compresses or chemical cold packs
• Cold water immersion
• Using ice cubes to massage the injured area

Banishing pain with heat

Heat is especially useful for relaxing sore muscles. People recovering from injuries can rely on dry or moist heat as part of a heat therapy regimen. However, experts caution that the heat source should be warm rather than hot. Options such as heating pads, steam baths, and even moist towels can be beneficial. And in some cases, moist heat is considered preferable because this method doesn’t require as much application time as dry heat.

Hot and cold therapy best practices

While hot and cold therapy can be useful in helping people recover from injuries, keep the following tips in mind. With fresh injuries, heat shouldn’t be the first therapy applied. Nor should heat therapy be used if there’s an open wound. Likewise, cold treatment is not ideal for treating stiff muscles or for a person who has poor circulation. Experts recommend no more than 20 minutes of exposure for cold therapy. In contrast, depending on the heat source and the temperature setting, heat therapy can be applied between 15 minutes to as much as two hours.

Getting back in the game

When appropriately used, hot and cold therapies are the perfect way for athletes to get back to enjoying the game. Remember that cold therapy is the best option for treating a new injury. And work in hot therapy to keep muscles relaxed and loose. When in doubt, always speak with a physician or sports therapy expert to determine a specialized treatment method for troublesome injuries.