Heat Therapy Versus Cold Therapy for Pain

Many people use either heat therapy or cold therapy to achieve natural pain relief. However, these two safe and natural pain relief modalities have specific indications. Some conditions respond better to heat, while others will benefit more from cold therapy.

For you to have a better grasp of how both heat and cold can be used for pain relief, you should learn about their similarities and differences.

 

How are heat therapy and cold therapy alike?

Heat therapy and cold therapy, although belonging to opposite ends of the spectrum, actually share some similarities:

• Both heat therapy and cold therapy decrease muscle spasms due to nerve or muscle disease.
• Cold and heat therapy both decrease spasticity due to upper motor neuron disease. However, cold therapy’s effects are expected to last longer and to be more effective in re-educating muscles.
• Both cold therapy and heat therapy cause significant pain relief.

How are heat therapy and cold therapy different?

Obviously, heat therapy and cold therapy have many differences in terms of how they work to provide pain relief and to relieve other conditions:

• When cold therapy is used, the tissues need a longer time to go back to their normal temperature as compared to heat therapy. That’s because heat therapy increases blood flow, encouraging any heated blood to be drained quickly.
• Heat therapy provides pain relief from muscle spasm by improving blood circulation and providing better oxygen supply. Cold therapy, on the other hand, provides a numbing effect.
• Metabolism of tissues is increased by heat therapy. Cold therapy produces the opposite effect and decreased metabolic rates of tissues.
• Heat therapy makes muscle contractions shorter. Cold therapy produces sustained muscular contractions, proving to be a great way to re-educate muscles in paralysis or spasticity from upper motor neuron disease.
• Circulation will increase with heat therapy. Cold therapy decreases blood circulation.
• Bleeding tendencies increase with heat therapy. Hemorrhage is reduced with cold therapy, making cold therapy useful in traumatic wounds.
• Swelling may be increased or decreased by heat, depending on how and when it is applied. Cold therapy reduces swelling.
• Burns will benefit more from cold therapy. Frostbite will benefit greatly from immediate warming.

Learn more about heat therapy and cold therapy.

Do you disagree with any of the points mentioned above? Leave a comment!