Heat Therapy Cold Therapy

Ahh...Ice Massage Therapy for Back Pain Relief

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:08:50 -0800

Ice massage therapy

For patients experiencing back pain, ice massage therapy is quick, free, easy to do, and it can provide significant pain relief for many types of back pain. In a world of sophisticated medical care, a simple ice massage can still be one of the more effective, proven methods to treat a sore back or neck, either when used alone or in combination with other treatments.

Benefits of Heat Therapy for Lower Back Pain

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:08:50 -0800

Top Back Surgery Topics:

Back/Neck Surgery Intro

Microdiscectomy

Lumbar Laminectomy

Cervical Spine Surgery

Lumbar Spinal Fusion

Heat Therapy for Back Pain Relief

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:08:50 -0800

Ice massage and ice application is generally most helpful during the first 48 hours following an injury that strains the back muscles. After this initial period, heat therapy is probably more beneficial to the healing process. For some people, alternating heat therapy with cold application such as ice massage therapy provides the most pain relief.

Heat wrap therapy can reduce post-exercise low back pain

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:08:51 -0800

Low back pain after exercise

How to Apply Heat Therapy

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:08:50 -0800

The most effective heat therapy products are the ones that can maintain their heat at the proper temperature. “Warm” is the proper temperature. Patients should not have their heat source be hot to the point of burning the skin. The desired effect is for the heat to penetrate down into the muscles. Simply increasing the temperature of the skin will do little to decrease discomfort.

How to Use Ice Massage Therapy for Back Pain

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:08:51 -0800

While any form of applying cold to the injured area—such as a bag of ice wrapped in a towel or a commercial ice pack—should be helpful, combining massage with ice application is a nice alternative for pain relief.

Applying ice massage therapy

To do ice massage therapy, a regular ice cube may be used, but it’s better to use a larger piece of ice. One easy way to do this is to freeze water in a paper or styrofoam cup, then peel the top inch or two of the cup to expose the ice surface.