How do I know if I should put heat or ice on an injury?

One of my preferred educators is Art Riggs. He says that it's difficult to establish a fail-safe rule for what to apply ice or heat.

The general rule is to apply ice for the first forty-eight to seventy-two hours after an acute injury and then to switch to heat. It is important to have a thin covering of cloth or paper towel between the ice and your skin. Be careful of falling asleep while lying on a heating pad. Usually, ten to fifteen minutes should be the maximum amount of time of application. For ice, frequent applications are helpful. If alternating ice and heat:the heat will increase circulations and soften tissue, while the ice will flush out the blood and curtail inflammation. So it's best to end with the ice.

The reality is that many conditions are not necessarily the result of a specific injury. I call these conditions "recurrent acute" and find them by far the most common: sciatica that occurs when you drive a car; backs that flare up every time you garden, or tennis elbow from intense computer work. In these cases, consistent and frequent applications of ice may prove very helpful over long periods of time, particularly immediately after the event that causes problems.

On the other side, back or other muscle spasms that are caused by overexertion rather than injury, may benefit greatly from heat immediately upon the onset of symptoms or immediately after exercise in order to relax the muscles and increase circulation. Generally, muscle belly pain not resulting from acute and serious trauma responds well to heat, which can break the spasms and release the strain. Nerve and tendon pain, regardless of the duration of symptoms, even for months, benefit from ice.

Finally different individuals will constitutionally vary greatly in their reactions. Some people are more prone to the types of inflammation exarcerbated by heat, while others find their bodies contracting and tightening at just the mention of ice. Try each and see what works best for you.

Suffering of Hip Pain?

Facts about Hip Pain:

• Your hip is a weight-bearing joint, and all of your weight above the waistline has to be supported by your hips. Whenever you stand, walk, or run, your hip joints are subjected to stress and strain.


• If you haven`t experience a traumatic injury such a car accident or a fall on the hip, and your pain seems to lessen when you`re resting, your hip pain could be caused by imbalances in your feet.


• The feet are the foundation of your body: they support everything above them, including the hips. When your feet aren`t balanced, it puts more stress and pressure on your hips.


• Hip pain can occasionally be a symptom of a more serious problem, such as arthritis, osteoporosis, or an infection in the joint. If your hip pain doesn`t go away, you should make an appointment to be evaluated by a health care professional.

How can I help you?
In the beginning, I would suggest rest or cold packs to relieve pain and reduce inflammation.
I recommend custom-made, flexible spinal pelvic stabilizers, which are inserts that you place in your shoes. Stabilizers help your feet maintain their structural and functional balance as you move. Thay also absorb harmful shock.
I may also suggest that you do rehabilitative exercises to build muscle strength, stabilize the hip joint and reduce your risk of addtional injuries.

What can you do at home to recover faster?
Lifestyle changes such as exercising regularly and losing weight can help. Excess weight causes additional stress and strain on all of your joints, particularly the hips.
To avoid hip problems in the future, make sure that you get adequate amounts of calcium and vitamind D. This will heep your bones healthy and strong, and can even help prevent osteoporosis, a leading cause of hip fractures.

Take this test to see if feet stabilizers can help you:

Do you stand or walk on hard surfaces for more than 4 hours daily?
Do you participate regularly in any physical sport?
Are you age 40 or over?
Have you had a prior injury to your knee, back or neck?
Have you had a knee surgery?
Do your shoes wear unevenly?
Do you have joint pain while standing, walking, or running?
Is one of your legs shorter than the other?
Do you have knock-knees of bow legs?
Do you have obvious foot problems? (bunions, corns, flat feet, etc)

If you checked any of the above, Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers can help you. And I can help you find the best stabilizer for you, and customize specially for your feet.

Visit my website www.therapeutic-hands.com to know how to reach me.

Will be happy to help you!

Angela Lind. LMT.

Source: Foot Levelers.