Hot or Cold? Massage Therapy Oakville
As a massage therapist a question that I get a lot is, “When do I put heat on my sore muscles and when do I put ice on?”
Here is my answer in a nutshell…When we first injure ourselves, our bodies react to the injury with inflammation and by creating heat in the area. So the first priority is to apply ice to cool the area and bring the inflammation down. Then follow this by icing for 10 min on & 10 min. off for the first 1-2 days. If you apply heat to an acute injury, you will increase inflammation which will increase pain and prolong your problem.
Now if you simply have some tension in a muscle with no sign of heat or inflammation, than you can apply heat to increase blood flow and allow the muscle to loosen.
Heat and ice play an important role in helping the tissue heal quickly. So now you you have a tool to help yourself in both acute and chronic conditions.
To book an appointment with our Massage Therapist, Gord Fyfe, RMT please call the clinic at 289-291-0254.