TREATING SPORTS INJURIES WITH ICE PACKS AND HEAT PACKS

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TREATING SPORTS INJURIES WITH ICE PACKS AND
HEAT PACKS
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Mild to less severe sports injuries can be
easily treated with heat or/and ice therapies.
These therapies have proved to be useful in
providing relief from the pain and discomfort
caused by injuries while allowing the body to
heal faster. Sports injuries are common if you
are an avid sportsperson. Be it a bump, pang,
bruise or sprain, a sports injury may result from
a sudden jolt to the body or as a result of
gradual wear. While more severe injuries may
require medical attention, less severe injuries
can be taken care of with the help of heat and/or
ice therapies. Lets take a closer look at how
you can take care of simple sports injuries with
the help of ice and heat packs. RICE Therapy for
Sports Injuries Mild to less severe sports
injuries can be easily treated with the help of
the RICE therapy, with each letter in the name
resonating to a particular step undertaken to
recover from the injury. Accordingly, R stands
for Rest, I stands for Ice therapy using Gel Ice
Packs, C stands for Compression and E stands for
Elevation. A combination of these methods would
help individuals recover from sports injuries
quickly. Performing Ice Therapy
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Ice therapies using gel ice packs are
effective in treating a variety of sports
injuries. Used in short spans, an ice treatment
would span throughout the day, with each session
lasting about 20 minutes. Any longer than 20
minutes at a stretch is not recommended. When
applying gel ice packs to an injured area, it is
recommended that you wrap the ice pack in a soft
cloth (a towel would be preferred). Direct
application of ice to the skin is not
recommended, as it may harm the skin. Apply the
ice pack on the injured area for about a minute.
Wait for 10-20 seconds and reapply the ice pack
on the injured area. Follow the procedure for 20
minutes for one session. Follow up with 4-5
sessions for a day depending on the severity of
the injury.
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Performing Heat Therapy
In addition to using gel ice packs to treat
sports injuries, one can also use heating pads to
recover from such injuries. The heat can
penetratedeep into the muscles and tissues to
provide ultimate comfort from the pain caused by
a sports injury. Heating products can be moist
(a warm bath) or dry (heating pads). Moist
heating pads are more effective in treating
injuries that occur in deeper and denser tissues
like quadriceps. Immersing the injured area in
warm water can therefore alleviate the pain and
discomfort caused by a sports injury.
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The correct temperature for a moist heating pad
is 104 degrees Fahrenheit, as anything above that
stands a chance of burning the skin. Moist
heating pads can also be useful in reducing the
symptoms of conditions like arthritis and joint
pains. A person suffering from arthritis, for
example, can get relief from the pain and
discomfort caused by the condition by submerging
fully in a hot water bath for about 20 minutes
every day. Individuals suffering from chronic
muscle problems can also opt for a hot water bath
and can get relief from the same by soaking in
warm bath water for one hour every day. Dry
heating pads can be used to treat injuries closer
to the surface. As in the case of moist heating
pads, a dry heating pad should not exceed a
temperature of 104 degrees Fahrenheit. A dry
heating pad should also be wrapped in a soft
cloth to avoid direct contact with skin. This, in
turn, would minimize the chance of the heating
pad burning the skin during application. Article
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ries-with-ice-packs-and-heat-packs/