Hot & Cold Therapy Products - Hot Packs, Gel Ice Packs, Hydrocollators

Many medical professionals recommend alternating cold therapy and heat therapy. By alternating the two, you may achieve better pain management than only using one or the other, especially if you’ve tried either with minimal results. While there is still benefit in using ice therapy alone, some injuries might need the addition of heat therapy on a rotation to achieve maximum results and pain relief.

When you alternate hot and cold therapy products, it creates a sort of manipulated pumping action in your circulatory system by reducing and increasing blood flow. This pumping action––using hot/cold packs––creates a hot and cold therapy system of sorts that may help reduce your pain faster, and expedite improvements in your range of motion.

Heat therapy works by opening up your circulatory system and increasing blood flow to the targeted area. This increased blood flow carries vital oxygen and nutrients to your sore or injured muscles, ligaments, and tendons, which are essential for healing.

Heat therapy also works phenomenally well on muscles in particular, by reducing pain and muscle spasms, improving flexibility in the tendons, and increasing range of motion.

Heat therapy can be used in multiple ways in a clinical setting; some of the most common ways include the application of a menthol-containing ointment or lotion heated in a Lotion & Gel Warmers, or applying a simple heating pad. Infrared units are also a great option to apply direct heat therapy to specific areas, and hydrocollators are perfect for heating and storing long-lasting hot packs for frequent use.

The term “cryotherapy” can refer to the practice of applying cold packs or ice to injuries or the immersion of the entire body in a cold chamber. Though there is still plenty of research to be done, benefits of whole body cryotherapy are believed to include reducing inflammation, boosting the metabolism to promote weight loss, and supporting the immune system by helping the body detoxify itself and stimulating the brain to release endorphins.

Cryotherapy, in its simpler form, is often one of the first courses of action to effectively treat injuries to joints, bones, muscles, and tendons. Applying instant cold packs, ice, or packs kept in chilling units will effectively begins the healing process by reducing swelling, pain, and nerve activity.

Though cryotherapy is relatively safe, there are potential side effects if used inappropriately. These include minor issues like tingling and numbness, to more serious problems like frostbite if you opt to use localized cold therapy treatments.

Cryotherapy applied to your whole body can also reduce heart rate and respiration rate, and increase blood pressure. Always check with a medical professional before doing anything other than minor cold therapy treatments at home.

Heat helps your body heal by relieving pain, relaxing tight muscles and tendons, and essentially sedating your sensory nerves. Additionally, it speeds up your metabolism, opens up your circulatory system, and increases blood flow and oxygen to the injured area.

This increased blood flow helps oxygenate and detoxify your body and supports cellular nutrition, all of which can help speed healing and repair damaged tissues. Fluidotherapy units are often used to apply heat therapy in a medical setting, which works much like a whirlpool but with a dry medium instead of water.

Although either therapy can be used at any time, cold therapy is often the first course of action in the treatment of acute injuries, like sprains, bruises, and strains. Ideally, you want to use cold therapy within the first 24 to 48 hours of your injury.

Heat therapy, such as paraffin wax therapy or the application of hot packs or pads, is used to treat chronic joint pain, chronic muscle pain, or stiffened joints. Contrast therapy, or alternating between hot and cold therapy, is appropriate when more relief is necessary or the injury requires the benefits of each.

Though the terms are often used interchangeably, cold therapy and cryotherapy are not exactly the same. Cold therapy could refer to any type of cold therapy measures, including cryotherapy, or a simple cold pack to an injured area.

Cryotherapy often refers to whole-body cold therapy treatments. Sometimes this is done using special cryotherapy chambers, or by using whole-body immersion ice therapy baths. However, ice baths are typically a longer treatment than a cryotherapy chamber, so even with those, there are marked differences.