Ice and Heat Therapy for Your Muscles
Ice therapy or cryotherapy helps to reduce the swelling and blood flow to decrease the pain. Heat therapy or thermotherapy helps to improve blood flow to continue the healing process and to relax the muscles. First determine whether your muscles have bruising or inflammation. If the muscle fibers are stretched too far, then your body responds in positive manner when the blood flow is increased. If the inflammation is severe, it makes blood to become congested and restricts the oxygenated blood from reaching the muscles. You must know whether it is to use ice or heat. Ice can be used more frequently than heat because of the risks associated with heat. Heat causes pain or burning if used incorrectly. Don’t dare to keep ice or heat directly on your skin. Always use a protective barrier. Use ice to decrease the inflammation and swelling. Applying ice reduces the blood flow when compared to the heat, which improves the blood flow. Apply ice to the swollen muscles within 24 hours to get be...