Active Health Chiropractic

Using ice therapy is effective for decreasing pain, swelling, and inflammation.

There are 4 stages of sensation that you should feel when applying ice therapy, they are:
1) Cold
2) Hot/burning
3) Pain
4) Numbness

You should progress through each stage within about 1 minute and reach the numbness stage within 3-4 minutes of application.

The best way to achieve this, is to apply the ice directly to the skin. However, some people find this uncomfortable and prefer to place a thin layer of cloth between the ice and their body.

There are several different methods for applying ice, depending on the area of the body.

Gel packs are a good all-around method because the gel conforms around the body part.
If you do not have a gel ice pack, you can use a bag of frozen peas or frozen corn.

Filling a small paper cup with water and placing it in the freezer creates a large ice cube suitable for ice massage by simply peeling back the paper as the ice melts on the skin. When using this method, it is important to keep the ice moving constantly over the area (an area 3-4 times the size of the ice itself) and to only apply the ice until you reach the numbness stage of sensation.

Allow at least one hour between applications of ice therapy and do not exceed the recommended treatment intervals.

*Do not fall asleep with an ice pack on, or use an ice pack for more than 15 minutes at a time. This can create re-action inflammation, which is counter-productive

*If you have Diabetes, Raynaud's, or any other peripheral neuropathy, it may be difficult for you to feel the different stages of cold and should consult a health care professional for assistance before applying ice therapy.