This Helpful Chart Will Help You Figure Out When You Should Use Ice Vs. Heat For Your Pain

Oct 08, 2018

When you are in pain, the last thing you want to do is get online to figure out if you need a heat pad or ice pack. Now, you can have the right information at your fingertips because of a simple chart from the Cleveland Clinic. This chart allows you to instantly figure out if heat or cold is right for certain types of injuries.

In general, ice works best for an injury that happened within the last six weeks. If you are dealing with a long-term, ongoing injury, then a heating pad will probably work best. Ice packs are also ideal for sports injuries. While heat might feel great on your sports injury, it is not actually the best thing for it.

It turns out that heat can increase the inflammation cycle, which is why it is bad for sports injuries.

While it might be the wrong choice for an athletic injury, it is actually useful for arthritis. A heating pad can help alleviate the pain of arthritis or calm a neck spasm.

If you have a headache, ice is the best choice. It helps to reduce the throbbing pain of a headache. Ice is also useful if you have gout or a severe fever. For tendinitis, use ice to reduce pain and inflammation.

While the perfect time and technique can vary for different types of pain, there is a general rule of thumb that doctors recommend. If you are using heat or ice for your pain, apply the treatment for 20 minutes at a time. Afterward, take the heat pad or ice pack off the injury for 20 minutes.

For severe pain, you might need to get a prescription for painkillers from your doctor. If you have minor pain, natural remedies can help. These natural solutions are also great if you want to avoid taking addictive painkillers.

Ginger is full of anti-inflammatory benefits. It has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. In the last few decades, researchers have finally discovered how effective ginger is for swelling and pain. A research team in Denmark discovered that ginger was actually better than drugs like Advil and Tylenol.

This herbal remedy works by blocking the body from creating anti-inflammatory compounds.

In folk medicine, cloves are a popular remedy for toothaches. It turns out that they can be used for so many more conditions as well. Cloves contain anti-fungal ingredients and work as a topical anesthetic. The delicious spice is made of a chemical called eugenol.

This chemical is one of the primary ingredients responsible for the herb's pain-relieving benefits.

This chemical is typically found in hot peppers, but many companies add it to pain-relieving creams. The compound can be used topically to alleviate your pain. It does this by reducing the amount of substance P in your body.

Since substance P is responsible for transmitting pain from your nerve cells to your brain, you end up feeling less pain.

This is another remedy that is popular in Ayurvedic remedies. For centuries, it has been used as a natural anti-inflammatory and painkiller. At the University of Arizona, researchers gave turmeric to rats with joint inflammation.

The treated rats had less swelling than the control group. Because of this quality, turmeric is often used to help with joint pain, arthritis, stomach pain, heartburn and other conditions.

Most herbalists know that peppermint tea is good for an upset stomach. It turns out that peppermint can also relieve pain. It can be used for infections, headaches, digestive issues, and the common cold. It possesses anti-inflammatory properties that help alleviate pain.

In addition, the menthol in the peppermint leaves helps to reduce muscle soreness and soothe the pain.

Help your friends discover the best ways to relieve pain by giving them this article to read.

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation with your doctor. Your health is important to us!