Spine & Sports Rehab Center's Use of Hot/Cold Therapy

In office, we have the ability to use an array of therapies to assist your spine in healing. Depending on your condition, one or more of the following may be suggested:

Cryotherapy (Cold Therapy)

Purpose: Cold therapy stimulates vasoconstriction, the narrowing of blood vessels to slow down blood circulation in an area.

• Cold therapy decreases pain and swelling after an injury.
• It is the therapy of choice for spinal pain within the first 72 hours.
• Cold decreases the flow of fluid into tissues and slows the chemicals that inflame and cause pain.
• Cold decreases swelling and bleeding and nerve ending conduction of pain impulses.
• Deep tissue cooling with ice diminishes muscle spasm by lowering muscle contraction.

Note: If you have circulation issues, can’t feel cold or are allergic to cold, ice may not be the recommended therapy for you and may not be applied.

Application: A towel is always put between you and the cold pack. Since inflammation and pain often accompany acute injury in the first 72 hours after an injury, ice only may be applied. Ice reduces inflammation and numbs the pain in short spurts like 10 minutes at a time.

Thermotherapy (Heat Therapy)

Purpose: Heat therapy stimulates vasodilation, the enlarging of blood vessels to bring more blood to an area.

• Heat is generally sedating because of its nature to reduce the transmission of pain signals and relax tense muscles.
• Heat opens blood vessels around a painful area, adding oxygen and nutrient flow to the muscles which aids in healing damaged tissue.
• Heat also reduces stiffness and increases flexibility which is most important in a healthy back to assist you in taking back your quality of life.

Application: In office, hot packs may be used on your spine with a towel around them for 10 to 30 minutes.

Purpose: Combining cryotherapy and thermotherapy is often recommended. This allows stimulation of blood flow by drawing blood into a swollen and painful area with heat and pushing out the blood with an ice pack application.

Application: For most patients coming to our office, a 10 minute hot/10 minute cold/10 minute hot routine is used. This routine is known as the Hunting’s Effect whereby too long an ice session reflexively forces the blood back into the inflamed area causing more pain. Hunting’s Effect is profitable for the body when you may find yourself in trouble of severe cold, but not when attempting to manage pain and inflammation. Heat sedates muscles and joints and cold drives out inflammation. A balance of the two is best.

Purpose: Often this hot/cold/hot therapy is applied along with electrical stimulation which is doubly-effective for your pain alleviation. This generates stimulation of blood flow by bringing blood into an inflamed and painful area with heat and pushing out the blood with ice pack application and nerve pain sedation with electrotherapy.

Application: Typically each modality with cryotherapy or thermotherapy is 10 minutes each but may vary depending on your condition.