Hot/Cold Therapy Use in the Richmond Chiropractic Treatment Plan

In office, we have access to an array of therapies to help your spine heal. Depending on your condition, one or more of the following may be suggested:

Cryotherapy (Cold Therapy)

Purpose: Cold therapy stimulates vasoconstriction, the narrowing of blood vessels to slow down blood circulation in an area.

• Cold therapy decreases pain and swelling after an injury.
• It is the therapy of choice for spinal pain within the first 72 hours.
• Cold reduces the flow of fluid into tissues and slows the chemicals that inflame and cause pain.
• Cold decreases swelling and bleeding and nerve ending conduction of pain impulses.
• Deep tissue cooling with ice diminishes muscle spasm by lessening muscle contraction.

Note: If you have circulation issues, can’t feel cold or are allergic to cold, ice may not be the preferred therapy for you and may not be applied.

Application: A towel is always placed between you and the cold pack. Since inflammation and pain often accompany acute injury in the first 72 hours after an injury, ice only may be applied. Ice decreases inflammation and numbs the pain in short spurts like 10 minutes at a time.

Thermotherapy (Heat Therapy)

Purpose: Heat therapy stimulates vasodilation, the enlarging of blood vessels to bring more blood to an area.

• Heat is typically sedating because of its ability to decrease the transmission of pain signals and calm tense muscles.
• Heat enlarges blood vessels near a painful area, increasing oxygen and nutrient flow to the muscles which helps heal damaged tissue.
• Heat also reduces stiffness and increases flexibility which is most important in a healthy back to help you regain your quality of life.

Application: In office, hot packs may be used on your spine with a towel around them for 10 to 30 minutes.

Purpose: Combining cryotherapy and thermotherapy is generally preferred. This allows stimulation of blood flow by drawing blood into an inflamed and painful area with heat and driving out the blood with an ice pack application.

Application: For nearly all of the patients coming to our office, a 10 minute hot/10 minute cold/10 minute hot routine is used. This routine is known as the Hunting’s Effect whereby too long an ice session reflexively forces the blood back into the inflamed area causing more pain. Hunting’s Effect is profitable for the body when you may find yourself in danger of severe cold, but not when trying to control pain and inflammation. Heat sedates muscles and joints and cold drives out swelling. A combination of the two is best.

Purpose: Often this hot/cold/hot therapy is applied along with electrical stimulation which is extremely effective for your pain relief. This produces stimulation of blood flow by bringing blood into an irritated and painful area with heat and driving out the blood with ice pack application and nerve pain sedation with electrotherapy.

Application: Typically each modality with cryotherapy or thermotherapy is 10 minutes each but may vary depending on your condition.