Ice In The First 24 To 72 Hours
As a general rule, it is best to apply cold therapy to your lower back in the first 24 to 72 hours following your lower back injury. The application of cold therapy can minimize your inflammation and swellingwhich in turn may reduce your pain. In addition, ice can decrease your tissue damage and numb your sore tissues.
There are numerous options for cold therapy, including a frozen bag of vegetables, frozen gel packs, and a frozen towel. Regardless of which option you choose, make sure to note the following precautions:
- To avoid ice burn, place a cloth between your skin and whichever source of cold you select.
- Apply cold therapy for no more than 20 minutes at a time. You can apply cold therapy 8 to 10 times per 24 hour period.
Watch: Video: How to Make 5 Quick and Easy Ice Packs
How Does Heat Relief Work
When the muscles are heated, the blood vessels inside relax and open up more which in turn brings more blood flow, nutrients and oxygen to the affected area. This action can reduce that pain not only in the muscles, but in the joints, tendons and ligaments as well. Heat has been used for many thousands of years to bring about pain relief in muscles all over the body.
The heat being applied also reduces muscle spasms which can decrease the range of motion as well. Basically, to apply the right amount of heat acts in a similar fashion to exercising the muscle which in turn also increases blood flow and flexibility to the areas that are affected.
Piezo1 And Piezo2 Use The Force
Piezo1 and Piezo2 both react to the flexing of the cell membranes in which they are thickly embedded, like rhinestones on an Elvis impersonator. The deformation of the cell membrane is a microcosm of a thumb pressing into your skin, which bends the membranes of the nerve cells in the area, opening millions of Piezo1 and Piezo2 proteins, so that kajillions of ions can pass through them, triggering nerve impulses.
This is scientific reductionism at its most dazzling, revealing the exotic nano-scale engines that power familiar human experiences, the answer at the end of a chain of childs but why questions.
The thumb bends the skin, flexing the membranes of every cell in the area. Proteins embedded in the cell membranes, Piezo1 & Piezo2, transduce the flexion into nerve impulses.
But they also power un-familiar human experiences! What we consciously feel thanks to the Piezo proteins is the tip of a mighty iceberg of subtle sensation. The biological power and utility of these engines is breathtaking. They are responsible not just for the pressure component of touch, but a truly staggering variety of other biological signals, from knowing when your bladder is full to the position of your limbs are in space to which direction your eyes are pointing.
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What Is Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disorder. Over time, rheumatoid arthritis degrades and erodes many of the bodys systems, including the joints, eyes, lungs, skin, and blood vessels.
An autoimmune disorder occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the tissues of the body. Rheumatoid arthritis damages the lining of the joints, causing severe swelling, pain, fatigue, and sometimes deformity of the joints and limbs.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is episodic. This means the condition flares up during specific periods and finds remission at other times. Rheumatoid arthritis begins by affecting smaller joints, fingers and toes in symmetrical alignment, e.g. right and left at the same time. As the condition worsens, it affects larger joints and eventually the cardiovascular system and internal organs.
Understanding the factors behind the flare ups can help individuals manage the condition. Remaining in stress response for prolonged periods appears to be a strong causative component for flare-ups.
According to the NHS, rheumatoid arthritis affects more than 400,000 people in the UK. It often starts when a person is between 40 and 50 years old. Women are three times more likely to be affected than men.
Red Rub Red Rub The Rubefaciants
These nostrums are sometimes classified as rubefaciants because many of them cause reddening of the skin. Not all them. In fact, this is not actually due to capsaicin, which surprisingly does not actually turn the skin red.25
However, many of these products contain other compounds that do increase superficial circulation, for whatever its worth.26 Its also worth noting that many of them do not actually contain capsaicin at all, including classic Tiger Balm .
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Counterstimulating With Capsaicin: Medium Spice Therapy
Sensory distraction is another classic rationalization for how therapy works . Its probably more legitimate, however.
One sensation can pre-empt another to some degree. This is known as counterstimulation, and it is certainly a real thing it is firmly based on the well-known neurological principle of gate control.27 The canonical example is the way we instinctively rub tissue around acute minor injuries.
If we counterstimulate one noxious stimuli with another, its counter-irritation.
Counterstimulation is a real thing, but not an especially potent thing. You could call it another tool for the pain treatment toolbox, but its not an impressive tool. Maybe just like a small screwdriver or a tack hammer.
But counterstimulation with capsaicin might be different.
Use Caution If Youre Pregnant
If youre pregnant and have back pain, its safe to use a heating pad. You should avoid prolonged exposure since overheating can be dangerous to a fetus. It can lead to neural tube defects or other complications.
This is more probable in a hot tub or sauna, but err on the side of caution. Use a heating pad on the lowest setting while pregnant, and only for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Since heating pads decrease pain signals and increase circulation, use the pad soon after developing painful flares or stiffness to speed the healing process.
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If You Answered With Stiffness In The Leg
Although this is a rarer complaint, if stiffness in the leg was someones main sciatica symptom, I would opt for applying heat to the affected buttock.
This would encourage better mobility for the sciatic nerve around the hip and allow greater movement of the leg.
To use this technique, follow this method:
- Start laying on your front on a bed or mat . Never sit on a hot water bottle
- Take a hot water bottle
- Apply it immediately to your affected buttock
- Keep it there for 15 minutes, then remove
- Allow the skin to cool to a natural temperature, then repeat the process
- Always look out for any signs of heat burn on your skin and remove immediately if you see or feel anything.
When To Use Cold Therapy:
- If you have had a recent injury where swelling is a problem.
- Apply an ice pack, frozen gel pack or even a bag of frozen vegetables wrapped in a towel to the affected area. You should never apply a frozen item directly to the skin, as it can cause damage to the skin and tissues.
- Apply cold treatment as soon as possible after an injury.
- Use cold therapy for short periods of time, several times a day. Ten to 15 minutes is fine, and no more than 20 minutes of cold therapy should be used at a time to prevent nerve, tissue, and skin damage.
- Elevate the affected area for best results.
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Using Heat For Pain Treatment
When heat is applied to the skin, it causes more blood to flow into the area where it is applied. Heat affects the skin as well as the underlying tissues below the skin. How deeply these effects travel depends on what type of heat is used for treatment. For instance, a heating pad may only target the “shallow” tissues, which are directly below the skin, while a therapeutic ultrasound can penetrate into the deeper muscles.
Heat To Relieve Back Pain
- Apply heat for 15 to 20 minutes at a time. Moist heat works better than dry heat.
- Try an all-day heat wrap, available in pharmacies.
- If you are using an electric heating pad, avoid falling asleep while the pad is on. If you think you might fall asleep, set an alarm clock to go off in 20 minutes. Use heating pads set on low or medium, never on high.
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Heating Pads For Back Pain
It’s all too easy to experience back pain while going about your regular routine. Back pain is common and very inconvenient. As part of the healing process, your doctor or health care provider might recommend heat therapy to help relieve sore muscles or spasms. At Walgreens, we have an assortment of heating pads for back pain that are specifically designed to be used on this broad area of your body.
Using Cold Therapy Safely
If you have aggravated an old injury, the general rule is to use ice for the first 48 to 72 hours or until the swelling subsides. At first, the ice will feel uncomfortably cold. Then youll feel a burning sensation, followed by an aching feeling, and finally, numbness. Ice can temporarily relieve pain almost any time.
Apply ice for 10- to 30-minute periods, separated by at least an hour between applications. The duration of applications also should vary with the area of the body being iced. Tissues, muscles, and structures that lie close to the surface of the skin or have little surrounding body fat require less icing time than those that lie deeper in the body.
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All About Heating Pads For Back Pain
Even if it’s only temporary, back pain can take a serious toll on your quality of life. It can make it difficult for you to perform everyday tasks and enjoy the things you once loved. While there are many conservative treatments for back pain, one of the most common is heat therapy. Believe it or not, heat therapy has been around since ancient times when the Egyptians and Greeks would use it for pain.
Fortunately, you don’t have to spend hours upon hours in the sun for back pain relief through heat therapy. These days, over-the-counter heating pads are available online and in stores. They bring ease and convenience to heat therapy.
What Is The Best Method For Using Heat
First and foremost you should not apply a device of heat to your body that does not offer some type of protection for the skin. You can always place a thin towel between you and the item in question so that it does not burn or mark the skin. Naturally, if you take a hot bath you should be careful to check the water so that it is not too hot. Admittedly, this is where a hot tub with water jets can come in handy to bring massaging action to your back with hot water.
You should apply the heat to the affected areas of the back and joints whenever you feel the pain. However, some of the pain will linger for a while after you remove the heat source, so be prepared and take extra caution when you have to move around. Ideally, you can use a heating device on your back pain as you go to bed and then remove it once you are ready to go to sleep.
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Heating Pads And Cold Packs Are Two Of The Easiest
Applying heat can relieve pain by relaxing the muscles, producing a sedative effect, and decreasing muscle tension. Ice can temporarily relieve pain almost any time.
When it comes to chronic pain, many of us reach for heat or ice therapy, thinking one or the other will ease our symptoms. Its easy to grab the heating pad or the ice pack, but both target symptoms, not underlying causes or long-term cures, and that can be a problem. That said, while youre waiting to get in to see your doctor you can find temporary relief from heat or ice.
Well help you understand heat or ice therapy in detail, but heres a great starting-point hint: Use ice if pain limits your motion, and use heat if stiffness limits your motion.
When To Use Ice For Back Pain
Youll want to apply ice during the acute phase, or inflammatory phase, of a back injury . Generally speaking, the inflammatory phase is the first 72 hours following an injury.
If you suffer an acute injury, your body responds in the following ways: Increased inflammation. Increased blood flow to the area. Increased swelling.
Guidelines for applying ice therapy: 20 minutes at a time, followed by a 40 to 60 minute break.
* Note: If you ice for longer period of time, youll actually have a negative response. Your body does the opposite of what youre trying to do. This means that instead of constricting blood flow to decrease inflammation to the area, your body will dilate blood vessels, which will increase blood flow to the area, thereby increasing inflammation and pain.
During the first 72 hours, you can use ice multiple times during the day .
Never apply ice directly to skin always use a barrier between your skin and ice such as a thin towel or shirt to prevent frostbite.
Ways to apply ice therapy to an injured area at home include: Ice packs.
Sensations you will feel from icing include: Cold Burning Aching Numbing .
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How Does Heat Therapy Work
In general terms, using a heated back brace or soaking in a warm tub brings a lot of therapeutic benefits. For most people, heat is comforting, relaxing and reassuring.
Chronic pain goes hand-in-hand with sensitization, anxiety, tension, and hypervigilance. Applying comfortable heat to your stiff back muscles or relaxing in a sauna can soothe an over-stressed nervous system.
More scientifically speaking, heat can help your blood vessels to dilate, allowing blood to flow more freely. This helps with the removal of toxins and encourages healing.
The Proteins Of Pain Scalding Heat And Spicy Heat And How We Might Be Able To Exploit Them Therapeutically
How do physical stimuli turn into sensations? How exactly do we turn whats around us into nerve impulses? Transduction is one of my favourite concepts in biology: the conversion of forces into electricity. We are all familiar with transduction in outline. For instance, we know that photons strike cells in our retina and trigger nerve impulses. But exactly how does that kind of thing work?
Some of these mechanisms remain unsolved mysteries of molecular biology, but others are now almost well understood. David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian just shared the Nobel for Medicine or Physiology for their discovery of proteins that transduce some basic stimuli into nerve impulses. Its all dizzyingly complex, of course, but it can be oversimplified down to this: they enable us to detect heat, cold, and pressure.
And this all about pain, too. Because extremes of temperature and force are dangerous! So these proteins are also the most basic components of our alarm systems.
These discoveries are only about ten to twenty years old, and have been followed by many more like them, the dawn of a much more detailed science of sensation.
Guido4, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Let the digression begin
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Saunas And Steam Rooms
You can use a dry sauna, infrared sauna, or steam room to improve circulation and alleviate stiffness.
The results of a 2018 review suggest that consistent use of a dry sauna is beneficial for people with rheumatoid arthritis as well as chronic pain syndrome. It may also help athletes to improve performance.
You can stay in a dry sauna or steam room for up to 15 minutes though you may want to begin with shorter sessions. Give yourself plenty of time to cool down in between sessions.
If youre pregnant, talk with your doctor before using a sauna or steam room.
Heat Reduces Pain Caused By Stiffness
Heat application facilitates stretching of the soft tissues around the spine, including muscles, connective tissue, and adhesions. Consequently, regular heat therapy on the back typically provides:
An overall feeling of comfort sets in and daily activities seem less difficult when lower back stiffness is relieved.
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When To Call Your Doctor
With these treatments, your pain should go away on its own. Call your doctor if you have any of these symptoms, because they could be signs of a bigger problem:
- The pain lasts for more than 3 days.
- It moves from your back to other parts of your body.
- You also have fever or loss of bladder or bowel control.
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National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases: âWhat Is Back Pain?â
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: âLow Back Pain.â
Harvard Medical School: âBed Rest for Back Pain? A Little Bit Will Do You.â
National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke: âLow Back Pain Fact Sheet.â
Johns Hopkins Medicine: âCryotherapy for Pain Management.â
University of Michigan Health System: âLow Back Pain.â
Cochrane Library: âMotor Control Exercise for Chronic Non-specific Low Back Pain.â
Annals of Internal Medicine: âA comparison of the effects of 2 types of massage and usual care on chronic low back pain: a randomized, controlled trial.â
U.S. National Library of Medicine: âBack Pain.â
American Association of Neurological Surgeons: âLow Back Strain and Sprain,â âSpinal Infections,â âSpinal Tumors.â
