Whilst pain is telling you something is wrong, no-one likes it.  Pain is a symptom and your warning signal to tell you that something is wrong or changing within your body.  To dull your senses to pain by medication is not the answer.  Seeking and correcting the cause is.

In the meantime, if you are experiencing pain, let me share with you some insights to help yourself when you experience and pain to help others. Too often, new patients come to BodyWell and tell us that they have been putting heat on their injury, yet what they should have been doing is using ice.

So to help you understand WHAT to use and WHEN… and WHY will help you prevent unnecessary suffering in the future.  No one likes pain and we want you to help live a pain free life, whilst respecting and understanding how your body works.

To help you get some immediate relief from acute or chronic pain, we would like to give you some advice and straighten out some myths about pain.

If you have pain or a condition that causes inflammation, irritation of muscles, joints and/or nerves, it is recommended that you seek advice from a health professional who is trained and specializes in pain.  For further information about what can be done to help you, read more here.

In Dr. Christian’s Wellness Blog, he speaks about pain and what it actually is.  He also explains what happens if you ignore the pain and fall prey of the pharmaceutical companies clever sales techniques, which have you think taking pain-killers is a safe option.  Pain is your body’s warning signal to indicate something is wrong or changing inside your body.  Read more about Dr. Christian’s Blog here.

Safe and effective pain relief is found in ice and heat.  When applied correctly, ice and heat offer you natural and effective pain relief.  The other benefit is, when you apply an ice pack or heat bag to an area, you are placing it right on the area that is painful.  Pain medication, on the other hand, has to be swallowed, digested and assimilated, affecting your entire body.  Therefore, it leaves a trail of potential side-effects.


Many times over, people wonder whether to use ice or heat for a condition like neck pain or lower back pain.  This can be a controversial topic.  Often patients will be told by their medical doctor, physiotherapist or even friends to use the opposite of what we recommend to our patients.  This is why we have prepared this special report to let you know what the experts and our doctors at BodyWell have to say about what is most effective.

The BIG question is, do you use ice or heat?

In general, when pain is present there is inflammation so we should use ice or cold to reduce swelling and pain.

If heat is inappropriately utilized during this inflammatory phase of healing, an increase in blood flow to the already swollen, injured area often results in an increase of pain.
As long as pain is present, ice is usually safer and more effective.

Think about it for a second: what would you place on a swollen ankle?  That’s right, ice!

When we use ice or cold in our office, we use high quality gel-filled packs.  They are far more effective than most other ice packs on the market and far better than ice cubes in a bag or frozen peas.

It is also important to apply the ice pack frequently. Three applications of ice per day will typically bring desired results.

Keeping a couple ice packs ready and available in your freezer will make it easy and convenient to use should an unfortunate mishap arise.

We tell our patients: “Ice is nice” and “Make friends with your ice pack”.

PAIN
Just the sound of the word pain causes us to wince.  Pain is the message sent through your nervous system to notify your brain that something is wrong.  Pain can range from mildly uncomfortable to completely debilitating.

WHY ICE?  Ice is Nice!
When pain is present, your body sends extra blood supply to the affected area.  Is it bleeding?  Clotting agents are delivered to slow and then stop the flow.  Muscles, ligaments, tendons, bone and other tissue need to repair, so your extra blood delivers the necessary molecules to start repairing cells in the damaged area.

The extra blood flow causes inflammation, resulting in pain. This pain is helpful, in that it encourages you to rest the affected area and avoid increasing the damage.  But a little pain goes a long way, and the quickest way to reduce pain is to reduce the inflammation by using ice.

WHY HEAT?  Heat is Neat!
When you have had a problem with muscles, ligaments and tendons for a long time, your body forms scar tissue in and around the affected area.  This can result in muscle guarding and increased muscle tone.  Arthritic joints can also be incredibly painful.

To allow the soft tissues to relax and arthritic joints to ease, heat can be effective initially.  However, to avoid triggering an inflammatory response, it is also recommended to apply an ice pack afterward.

For muscle tightness and rheumatoid arthritis, the best option is heat.

Learn more about what to do for a new injury or an old injury here.


For the best of health!
Dr. Christian BAppSc(ClinSc); BCSc; FCBP; M.A.O.
Chiropractor (Australia); Wellness Doctor (UK)
For more information call 01227 789 977 or visit www.bodywellgroup.com