Oh Katy Perry should always be part of any program for sports therapy - but seriously – do California Girls know when to use hot and when to use heat on a sports injury? – well Brisbane boys and girls soon will! Heat and Cold (or ice) treatments work in different ways, opposite reactions.  Heat is relaxing to muscles, but it increases swelling and inflammation  whereas Cold treatments shrink swelling and inflammation, but tighten muscles. So what to do?

Sports injuries are usually divided into two basic types: acute or chronic. Acute pain sets in rapidly and is usually short-lived, Chronic pain however develops slowly and persists for long(er) periods.  Acute injuries are nothing like they sound (not really cute at all) and result from an impact or ‘trauma’ to the body such as a fall, sprain or collision with someone or something. This causes pain, tenderness or the swelling. Chronic injuries can develop over time as the result of poor technique or overuse of particular parts of the body causing stress on particular muscles or joints, but can also be the result of an untreated or incorrectly treated acute injury.

Cold douses the flames of Inflammation

Ice (or cold based treatments) are usually used to treat acute injuries (like sprained ankles or strained muscles) because they reduce swelling and pain. Ice is a vaso-constrictor (causing blood vessels to narrow) and limit internal bleeding at the injury site. When treating an injury with an ice pack it is important to protect the skin surface from the ice with a thin piece of cloth. There are professional ice packs available but a bag of frozen peas will do. Place the pack on for a small period of time (usually around 10 minutes), remove and allow the skin temperature to return to normal then repeat several times (depending on the severity of the injury). When you hear of footballers taking ice baths after matches this is a highly developed form of cold therapy (and one that I wouldn’t recommend you try at home without proper advice or consultation). Cold therapies may also be used to treat some aspects of chronic pain where inflammation is occurring.

Heat is for stiffness

Heat is generally used for chronic injuries that have no inflammation or swelling – like sore muscles or nagging joint pain. Warmth decreases muscle spasms and relaxes muscles. Some athletes use heat treatments before exercise to increase flexibility and stimulate blood flow but heat should not be used after exercise (cold will work better). Applying heat to inflamed injuries will exacerbate circulation issues as it induces vasodilation (drawing blood to the target area). Again – heat pads are available commercially but a hot wet towel will usually work just as well.

As with all injuries the initial treatment goes a long way to how the injury will affect you and your recovery. Where there is any injury that immobilizes you – please see a doctor or physiotherapist within 48 hours...that way you and Katy Perry can get back to kissing girls and liking it (eewwwww!!)