You’ve got a bag of frozen peas for the ice in one hand, and a hot water bottle for the hear in the other, not knowing whether to apply heat to relax your injury, or ice to numb the pain! Fear not, here are a basic set of guidelines for you to follow for the next time that you find yourself in this stressful situation.

Ice

You should be applying ice to acute injuries (within the last 48 hours) to minimise the swelling, reduce bleeding into the tissues, and numb the pain. This is when you go rummaging through your freezer and dig out a suitable ice pack (ice cubes or frozen peas are probably the most popular choice, but if it’s cold and it covers the area then it’ll work just as well).

You’re out running and you suddenly pull up with excruciating pain in your calf – ice. You bend forwards to tie your shoes and feel your back “just go” – ice. You over do it in yoga and feel something “ping” in the back of your leg – ice. (See the theme here?)

You should not be applying the ice directly on to the skin though, as this can cause ice burns – instead look to wrap a wet tea towel around the ice, or place in a plastic bag. Also make sure that you’re not icing for more than 30 minutes, and avoid using ice around the front or side of the neck. Deep freeze is an okay alternative, if you’re out and about, but it’s not as effective as The real McCoy.

Heat

You should be applying heat to more chronic injuries (after 3-5 days, depending on severity of injury). Once the swelling, bleeding and bruising of the initial injury has subsided, you should be good to go with the heat. Heat is also really good for aching and stiff muscles, not just chronic injuries.

The desk-worker who is hunching further and further in to their laptop everyday – heat. The guy who stands up from his desk and holds his back, as “it’ll be alright once I start moving again” – heat. The woman who gets struggles to look over her shoulder without wincing with discomfort – heat. (See the theme here?)

Conclusion

The ice calms the situation down (after initial injury), and the heat soothes the muscle tightness (often found several days after injury). You only really need to be applying ice to injuries, whereas heat can help with general muscle tension from everyday life, being sat at a desk all day, being stressed out, etc. etc.

The bottom line is to listen to your body – these treatments are here to help, so if something doesn’t feel quite right, then stop what you’re doing and ask for a second opinion (that’s why I’m here!)

I hope this clears up some of the confusion and encourages you to use these cheap, easy-to-use self treatment options the next time you encounter an injury.