Cold Therapy At Home
What Is Cold TherapyCold therapy or (cold pack) is often recommended to treat an aching pain, swelling that results from joint damage or muscle and acute injury.
In cold therapy you can use ice or cold packs available in the market (pharmacy)
Cold Therapy
The cold, cold pack or therapy or ice pack helps to numb the affected area and reduces your pain. Cold pack helps in decreasing swelling, Cold therapy is very useful in any type of acute pain, it also numbs nerve endings. You can use ice cubs wrapped in a small clean cloth to treat acute injuries, pain or swelling.
For example, if you have hit yourself or fell down somewhere and it hurts, and you also feel that the injured part of your body (knees, ankle. arms, hands, elbows etc) is swollen. In that case you can use ice therapy, you can also buy ice pack from any medical store. Use it for at least 15 to 20 minutes twice or thrice a day for 2 days, and the itching and swelling should go away.
And if you are using ice cubes to treat your minor swollen, painful or injured body part, in that case you should never use ice directly, first wrap it in a small clean cloth and after that you can put it on your affected body part.
Cold packs are used only to treat acute (24to48) hours of injury, pain or swelling.
Cold Therapy Benefits
- Reduces inflammation
- Muscle healing
- Reduces acute swelling
- It can help you with muscle or joint pain
- Reduces redness of your swollen or injured body part
"When Cold Pack Is Not Suitable"
Cold application is not suitable or recommended for the following conditions :
- Any type of open wound
- Deep vein thrombosis
- vascular disease
- Skin sensation impairment
- Sensitive skin
- Cold allergy
- Major swelling ( because it can be a sign of fracture if you hit yourself and your body part gets swollen badly)
While using cold therapy, you should take proper rest, or give proper rest to the affected area, you should also elevate the affected swollen part for sometime to heal properly.VERY IMPORTANT NOTE : Cold pack treatment is only recommended if you have hit yourself somewhere or fell down, and you can feel and see that the affected part of your body is not paining too much and there is no major swelling or injury. If you have hit yourself very badly or if you have got injured and it is very painful and the affected part is very much swollen, in that case you should go to the doctor immediately without thinking or waiting, Because in that case it could be a fracture or any other major problem.
Good Luck :)
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