Hi, I'm Natalie here with Veritas Health to give you guys some information on the use of ice therapy for back pain relief. Ice therapy can be really helpful when dealing with acute back pain such as a muscle strain, or chronic back pain, or a flare up of chronic back pain. Ice therapy works by causing some vasoconstriction, so a shrinking of the blood vessels that help reduce inflammation and helps reduce pain.
When using ice there are several different methods you can use. You can use an instant cold pack that can be found at your pharmacy. These can be applied directly on the skin if that's what the label indicates. You can also use a gel pack, which can be put in your freezer and then also placed directly on you. We recommend using a towel or a piece of clothing as a barrier between you and the cold pack. You can also use a homemade gel pack, which can be used in your freezer. Or if you don't have these materials handy, you can use a bag of frozen peas or frozen vegetables. When using ice, we recommend applying on the sore area for about ten minutes and working up to about 20 minutes as needed. I would not exceed 20 minutes as this can increase the chance of damage to your skin from the cold.
You can also use an ice massage if you have a really sore back muscle, or if you are experiencing acute muscle strain. To use an ice massage applicator. We use an area of about six inches that you provide slow, circular motion to. The ice can be applied directly on the skin that's because you keep the ice moving, so it's never on one part of the skin for too long. This can be done for about five minutes at a time. To learn more about ice therapy for back pain relief or how to make a homemade gel pack or ice massage applicator, please visit us at Spine-health.com and be sure to subscribe to our channel for more videos like this one. Thanks for watching!
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