Heat or Ice for Back Pain

Is heat or ice better for back pain? Surprisingly, the answer is both.

Tip! Use your legs whenever you lift anything. You have to have a strong base with your legs and your body needs to be even.

The decision of whether or not to use heat or ice for you back pain depends on what is causing that pain. Different causes require different cures and using the wrong one can actually make the pain worse.

Read on to find tips on how to apply heat or ice properly to achieve their maximum benefit.

Heat Things Up 

When, why, and how to use heat for back pain are all essential questions. Getting the right answers is the difference between relief and aggravation of back pain.

How NOT to Use It

Careful consideration needs to be given regarding how hot heat therapy needs to be. It should really be called warming therapy since warm is considered to be the ideal temperature for relieving pain. Skin and other soft tissues can be damaged by too much heat.

Tip! Stretches and flexibility exercises can go a long way in preventing and even getting rid of back pain. If these stretches are done properly and according to guided direction you will see the results.

If your pain is caused by inflammation however, heat therapy can actually exacerbate the issue. That is why heat therapy should be used carefully. When in doubt, consult your physician.

Furthermore, those with peripheral vascular disease or diabetes should generally avoid heat therapy.

How to Use It 

Chronic pain and aches, minor muscular pain, tense muscles are the kinds of pain for which heat therapy is generally recommended. Stiff necks and sore backs are often problems people treat with heat.

Tense muscles relax and pain often lessens from the warming of heat therapy. In addition, heat therapy can reduce muscle spasms and improve circulation.

There are a myriad of avenues to applying heat therapy to relieve back pain:

Reusable gel packs
Heat wraps
Heating pads
Whirlpools Saunas & Steam rooms
Ultrasound
Electrical current

People who suffer chronic back pain often choose to use heat wraps that offer all day relief and can be worn beneath their clothing. Others find soaking in warm whirlpools, swimming pools, and baths helpful for muscular back pain.

Tip! A great tip you can use to prevent back pain before it starts is to take it easy on the alcoholic beverages. Alcohol will cause you to become dehydrated.

The type of heat and form of application of that heat are factors that rely on the location of the pain, cause of the pain, personal preferences, and professional recommendations.

Generally, these treatments are used for somewhere between fifteen minutes to a couple of hours. The benefits of these treatments however, can linger long after the treatment itself has ended.

Electrical current and ultrasound are the only two methods that provide heat that goes deep into the tissues that are in pain. The remaining treatments listed treat back pain on a superficial level only, meaning that they provide treatment to the outside of one's body but not into the deep tissues.

Ice It Down

Just as the cause, type, presentation of your back pain can indicate heat for treatment so can those same guidelines indicate that ice is needed to treat back pain.

When/How to Use It 

Strains, sprains, and other injuries often use ice as part of the initial treatment that happens right after injury. It is also recommended for areas that are inflamed-- red, swollen, warm to the touch, and more likely than not, painful. 

Tip! Get more magnesium. Studies have been done that prove that some back pain is related to lacking of magnesium in the body.

Application of ice treatments are generally limited to 15 or 20 minutes at a time. It is commonly applied for 4 to 6 times during the first 48 hours after a soft tissue injury occurs, to reduce inflammation and swelling.

During those two days, rest and inactivity is recommended in conjunction with the ice therapy.

When/How NOT to Use It 

Like heat therapy, using ice therapeutically can cause more harm than good if done wrong.

Tip! If you do need to sit in a specific position for a long time, like in a movie theater or an airplane, cross your legs. Crossing legs is done with your back and hip muscles.

Ice packs should never directly come into contact with the skin. Always cover the ice pack with a thin towel or cloth to ensure that it does not come into direct contact with your skin. Applying an ice pack directly to the skin-- or for extended periods of time-- can result in tissue damage.

If left for too long, it may even lead to frostbite.

The Bottom Line 

Whether you use ice or heat to treat your back pain depends on what sort of injury or condition is causing the pain. Using the wrong one can often lead to worse pain and further injury.

Tip! Try swimming and water exercise. Water can be a great place to exercise, because it relieves pressure on muscle groups including the back.

Then heat therapy may help you to feel better sooner, if you have chronic pain such as that caused by arthritis or minor muscle pain. However, if you have a pain caused by inflammation or due to new injuries, it is better to use ice.

Always check with your medical practitioner before beginning any course of treatment.

Tip! Take pain medication when you first start feeling pain. Some people tend to ignore back pain, thinking that it will just go away, but the truth is that you'll be relieved of the pain sooner if you take medication when you first start feeling it.

Careful consideration needs to be given regarding how hot heat therapy needs to be. It should really be called warming therapy since warm is considered to be the ideal temperature for relieving pain. Skin and other soft tissues can be damaged by too much heat.

 If your pain is caused by inflammation however, heat therapy can actually exacerbate the issue. That is why heat therapy should be used carefully.