When your back pain is acute less than a 4 week duration and or occurs due to a direct injury use cold therapy first.
Ice pad for back pain.
Ice and cold packs can relieve pain swelling and inflammation from injuries and other conditions such as arthritis.
This includes a standard electric heating pad that offers multiple heat settings.
Behr has seen patients who have suffered from burns due to excessive use of either heat or cold.
See ice packs for back.
There s also the option of an infrared heating pad.
Less than 10 minutes may be ineffective but too much time can cause damage so.
Best for targeted icing after injury or for areas too awkward for ice packs like the.
Put an ice pack on your back for 10 to 20 minutes to reduce nerve activity pain and swelling.
Chronic pain may result from slow developing conditions that cause a dull ache from time to time for example the kind of pain caused by spinal stenosis.
If the cause of your back pain is muscular it may be best to use ice for the first 2 days followed by alternating ice and heat 20 minutes each every 2 hours for a day or two then switching to heat.
Different heating pads are available for back pain.
It is important to remove the heating pad or ice for 15 to 20 minutes after each treatment period.
Place the ice pack on your back.
Ice and heat in moderation.
Once you re comfortable place the ice pack on the area of your back that is causing you pain.
Wet a towel with cold water and squeeze it until it is just damp.
Use heating pads set on low or medium never on high.
Keep the pack on the affected area for no more than 20 minutes per session.
The final answer to the question heat or ice for pain.
Back pain treating back pain heat or ice for back pain.
But if you use a.
Bath or heating pad can help relax tense muscles and reduce inflammation.
Heating pads are the most common heat source but even a hot wet towel can bring relief.
Which one suits you best will depend on your individual back pain and specifically whether your aches and pains are chronic or acute.
Using ice or heat for back pain is a simple drug free treatment approach that can be very effective.
Freeze water in a dixie cup peel back the top and massage the tender area until it s numb.
This may offer you some immediate pain relief and reduce inflammation that is exacerbating your discomfort.
Use cold first and then apply heat for acute back pain.
In his 21 years of experience dr.
