Key aspects to consider before using cold therapy

If you want to help reduce pain after an accident, reduce muscle soreness after a workout, or joint pain, that can occur from repetitive motions over a long time, you need to find a therapeutic method that is non-invasive, healthy, and long-lasting. Consider using ice baths, compression sleeves, or other temperature-regulated methods that can reduce pain and inflammation in your body!

Using cold therapy for the first time? Take note of this information before starting your first session

If you’re new to using cold therapy, you first need to figure out how this theory method works, how you have to administer it, and the process of aftercare. Fortunately for you, choosing cold therapy as pain management and recovery solution is a great option! Not only is this method non-invasive and completely safe, but it has proven to be effective at lessening inflammation, reducing joint pain, lowering muscle soreness, and treating injuries from the comfort of your own home.

Learn more about how to use cold therapy in multiple ways, whether it be for your whole body – known as cryotherapy – or for a small part of your body, such as your knee, ankle, or elbow. Although cold therapy can be a cryotherapy inexpensive container, you can also use homemade cold therapy packs for your benefits at home, such as ice packs, bags of frozen vegetables, coolant sprays, or homemade ice baths using ice and a bucket. 

Cold therapy is an effective therapeutic method that is part of helping treat an acute injury, such as an ankle sprain, knee twist, or elbow dislocation. Cold therapy has been effective for healing runner’s knee, sprains, arthritis-related pain, swelling after a hip replacement, lower back pain, swelling under a cast, and tendonitis. 

How to apply cold therapy

Before you begin the first cold therapy session, you need to know how to get started safely. Before you begin with the cold therapy, make sure you wrap the ice pack in a towel or thin material so you don’t directly apply the ice to your skin, as this can damage your skin due to the freezer burn. Apply the ice pack for around 10-20 minutes, several times per day. 

Take the following into consideration when using cold therapy:

• Rest – along with using the cold therapy unit for your aching muscles or sprained ankle, rest from the other activities you are doing during the day.
• Compression – compress the ice pack on the affected area by wrapping it tightly with a towel or compression bandage.
• Elevation – Elevate your injured area with the ice pack to control the inflammation.
• Pain medicine – along with using the cold therapy to help numb the area and control swelling, take some over-the-counter pain medication so you can be comfortable.

Conclusion

Using cold therapy is an easy and safe method to help aching muscles, hurt joints, and areas of injury after an accident or sports injury. For those who have sprained ankles, twisted knees, hurt shoulders, or problematic elbows, using a cold therapy pack is an easy at-home method that is effective in lowering swelling, reducing inflammation, numbing hurt nerves, and reducing pain.