Ice | Cold Therapy

Ice or Cold Therapy:

Ice should not use directly on the skin that damage the skin cells. The best way to use ice is after wrapping in cloth or light towels. Use of Ice therapy is very effective to increase blood circulation which promotes the healing process and relaxing of your muscles.  Ice Therapy helps in oxygen transfer to your muscle tissue. In this way, Ice therapy is very useful to repair damaged parts of our body.

Ice therapy can be used to cure so many diseases when we use ice on the head, first wrap it in a cloth.

Athletes often use this therapy to reduce inflammation and muscle spasm. Cold temperature therapy works by reducing the blood flow in this area, thus relieving swelling and pain significantly. In addition, numbing the body part also reduces your sensitivity to pain and as a result, the pain signals move less from your veins to your brain.

There are many ways to apply ice therapy on the affected body part such as

• Ice packs

• Ice massage

• Ice bath

• Cooling Spray

Health Benefits of Ice or Cold Therapy:

1. In Skin burning  – when any part of the skin gets burn then the immediate application of ice on that portion gives relief from the burning sensation and prevents boil formation also.
2. In Nose bleeding – Due to excessive heat, a person’s nose starts bleeding in that case ice is the best treatment.  Wrap some pieces of ice in a cloth and put on the pose for a few minutes, bleeding will stop.
3. Bleeding due to injury or cut – Blood flows continuously due to any type of cut or injury then kept ice on that portion. Bleeding will stop.
4. Bleeding in hidden injury – If there is any type of hidden injury then applying ice on that portion which will prevent blood clotting and reduce the pain.
5. Swelling due to Injury – swelling occurs due to injury, in that case, ice fomentation reduces swelling and pain.
6. Sprain – Apply ice on the sprained area which reduces swelling and pain.
7. In fever – During high fever keeping ice on the patient’s forehead, palm, and soles of the foot helps in bringing down the fever.
8. On being stung – On being stung by honey bees, ice should be applied immediately on that portion. This prevents pain and burning sensation.
9. Prickly heat – Often people suffer from prickly heat during the summer. Rubbing ice on the prickly heat area is the easy and best treatment.
10. Backache – Ice fomentation is very useful in backache. Do not use ice for more than 20 minutes at one time. After an hour, ice fomentation can be used again.

How to apply Ice or Cold Therapy:

For home remedies, use a cold towel or piece of ice wrapped in cloth on the affected body part. You should never apply the frozen thing directly to the skin, as it can cause damage to the skin and tissues. Cold or ice treatment should be applied as soon as possible if an injury occurs.

Use cold therapy several times a day for short periods of time. 10 to 15 minutes is fine, and using it for too long can cause nerve, tissue, and skin damage. You can elevate the affected body part for the best results.

When not to be used Ice or Cold Therapy:

People with sensory disorders who are not able to feel certain sensations should not use cold therapy at home because they cannot feel what is causing harm. This includes diabetes, which can result in nerve damage and reduced sensitivity.

You should not use cold medical aid on stiff muscles or joints.

Cold therapy should not be used if your blood circulation pass is poor.

Precautions while using Ice or Cold Therapy:

If you are not careful, you can apply ice therapy for a very long time or use ice directly on the skin which can cause tissue or nervous system damage. If you have heart disease, consult your doctor before using cold therapy. If cold therapy does not help with injury or swelling within 48 hours, consult a doctor.

Summary:

Knowing once to use cold or ice medical aid and once to use hot medical aid greatly will increase the effectiveness of treatment. Some situations require both. For example, patients with Arthritis may use heat for swelling and acute pain from joint stiffness and then cold.

If treatment aggravates pain or discomfort, stop it immediately. If regular use for a few days of treatment does not help, you can consult your doctor to discuss other treatment options. Yuvaan Naturopathy & Ayurved Center in Indirapuram Ghaziabad is the best place to know more about it’s uses and benefits.