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On the contrary, ice can make muscle tension and spasms worse. Your muscles contract, inflammation is lowered, and pain signals are reduced. It is effective because it causes your blood vessels to narrow (vasoconstriction). The use of ice, or very cold temperatures, in a medical manner is known as cryotherapy. When chilled, our flexible ice pack eases discomfort from acute injuries, sprains or strains, muscle soreness, spasms, bruises, swelling, and tension headaches. Use heat for muscle pain, tightness, and stiffness. As a general rule of thumb, use cold for acute injuries or pain, inflammation, and swelling. Sometimes a single treatment might include both. Knowing what situations call for heat, and which call for ice can be tricky.
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Keep reading for more specifics and insight on what type of temperature therapy you should be using. In order to understand the benefits of cold, hot, and contrast therapy, it’s important to know why and when heat and ice work for pain relief-and when they don’t. Specifically suffering from lower back pain and tightness? Find out why a heated back brace is a good way to get rid of back pain and when heat therapy is NOT the answer. There is so much confusion surrounding this topic, which is unfortunate because RICE treatment combined with therapeutic icing and heating (cryotherapy and thermotherapy) is an effective, affordable, and safe self-treatment option for many common, painful problems including: Microwave and freezer safe, this gel pack is convenient and easy to use. Get proactive in treating your aches and pains by keeping at least one of our Hot & Cold Therapy Gel Packs on hand. Why You Need This Reusable Hot & Cold Gel Pack
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