What You Must Know About Injury Recovery
Use Cold Therapy To Help Reduce Swelling And Pain
For swelling, it’s generally best to use cold therapy (cryotherapy) for the first 24-48 hours. In certain circumstances (surgical recovery, etc.), it might be best to use cyrotherapy for days, weeks or even months. Among other benefits, cold therapy squeezes fluid from the injury, reducing swelling. It also slows blood flow, which keeps additional fluid from increasing swelling and further inhibiting the tissue repair process. To avoid permanent tissue damage, use traditional cold therapy with care.
Heat encourages blood flow, so it may increase swelling. Generally, heat is applied after the first 24-48 hours–after tissues have had time to recover and become strong enough to utilize the additional nutrients that will come with increased blood flow.
Cold Therapy
Also called cryotherapy, cold therapy is the science of using cold temperatures to treat medical conditions. Techniques range from extreme–placing a person in a cryogenic chamber–to simple–placing a bag of ice over a bump on your head. There are several benefits to using cold therapy, among them are a reduction of swelling of injured tissue and analgesia (pain relief). Traditional cold therapy can slow blood flow to dangerous levels, so extreme care must be taken to avoid permanent injury during use.
Cold Therapy Reduces Blood
Flow And Slows Neural Activity
Swelling is a common physical response to injury. Years of medical research have proven that, applied properly*, cold therapy can be very effective in reducing swelling, pain, and recovery time.
Cold therapy reduces swelling by constricting blood vessels and squeezing excess fluid from the injured area. This constricting action also helps slow blood flow to the injured area-keeping additional fluid from overwhelming the repair process.
Cold therapy decreases cellular activity, which helps prevent additional damage during the first stages of recovery. It also slows neural activity, inhibiting pain and reducing muscle spasms. In general, apply cold therapy immediately after experiencing the injury and for at least 24-48 hrs. for maximum benefit.
*Traditional cold therapy must be closely regulated to avoid permanent tissue damage.
Cold Therapy Means Quicker Recovery
Professional athletes routinely use cold therapy because they know it accelerates muscle recovery after a workout.
Cold therapy reduces post-activity pain and swelling by slowing blood flow to micro-injured muscle tissue.
For many, cold therapy reduces pain associated with chronic injuries like tendonitis, bursitis, etc.
Cold Therapy Offers Other Benefits
Helps reduce pain and swelling due to minor insect bites or stings*
Helps reduce bruising by slowing blood flow to the injured area.
Reduced neural activity helps alleviate pain caused by minor burns.
Helps reduce pain and swelling associated with dental procedures and tooth aches.
Helps reduce skin irritation and swelling associated with cosmetic surgery and epidermal laser procedures.
*In the case of acute allergic reactions-consult immediate medical attention.
Cold Therapy Is The Heart Of The
Medical Standard For Injury Recovery-RICE
Rest the injury
Prevents re-injury and gives damaged tissue time to
recover.
Ice the injury
Provides the benefits of cold therapy when used according to
direction.*
Compression
Squeezes fluid from the injury and restricts excess blood flow.
Elevate the injury
Helps reduce swelling by reducing blood pooling and by lowering
blood pressure at the injury site.
*Extreme care must be taken to avoid permanent tissue damage while using traditional ice or gel-based products for cold therapy. Doctors recommend using ice or frozen gels for no more than 20 minutes at a time, followed by a lengthy rest period (1-2 hrs.).
Use Any Traditional Form Of Cold Therapy With Care
To prevent permanent tissue damage, cold therapy must be applied with extreme caution while using traditional products based on ice or frozen gels. Cold therapy should not be used on an unconscious patient. Cold therapy should generally not be used on a patient suffering from paralysis. Cold therapy should not be used on an open wound. Don’t use cold therapy on infants or young children without professional direction. Cold therapy should be used with caution on patients with Reynaud’s or other diseases where cold sensitivity is an issue.
What are the typical applications
where Black Ice CoolTherapy can help me?
Black Ice CoolTherapy can generally be used just about anywhere cold therapy is indicated. Those suffering from lower back pain, upper back pain, sciatica, chronic backache or acute back pain may find relief using the Black Ice BTX back wrap.
If you suffer from shoulder pain, knee pain, leg pain, foot pain, ankle pain, wrist pain, general joint pain, muscle pain, etc., the Black Ice STX Sports wrap (in various lengths) will help relieve pain and swelling. It will also aid your recovery if you’ve suffered a sprained ankle or sprained wrist. In fact, when it comes to sports injuries like tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, meniscus tear or ACL tear, the STX is an excellent choice because the Modular Cooling Packs can be individually placed to promote the most effective healing. For the same reasons, the STX is also a good choice for those recovering from knee surgery procedures like knee replacement, ACL surgery and meniscus surgery. The STX also works well for chronic pain and inflammation caused by rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.
When it comes to localized pain like toothache, headache, migraine, burns, bumps and bruises, the hand-held UTX is an excellent option. The UTX allows you to apply CoolTherapy to areas that are difficult to access with a traditional wrap, so for areas on the face after cosmetic surgery, or for those who suffer from rosacea, it’s an excellent option. And for those men recovering from vasectomy surgery, the regulated temperature output of Black Ice is much, much, much more comfortable than ice or gels.
If you’re suffering from neck pain or just a stiff neck, the NTX CoolTherapy Neck Wrap is the way to go. It’s based on the popular CCX Personal Cooling System, so if you already own that product, you can easily upgrade to CoolTherapy by purchasing the CTX CoolTherapy Pack.
Hot flashes–Black Ice generally recommends the Cool Collar CCX for those suffering from hot flashes, but for those suffering from heavy hot flashes or night sweats, the NTX takes hot flash relief to the next level. Because the temperature output of the CTX cooling pack included with the NTX is cooler than the CPX pack included with the Cool Collar (52°F vs. 57°F), it will absorb heat faster. The result is potentially quicker relief for those who suffer from heavy hot flashes and night sweats, but do be aware that cooling duration may be affected somewhat.
When it comes to pain management in the realm of sports medicine, surgical recovery, general injury and chronic or acute pain, and even for hot flashes and night sweats, the Black Ice CoolTherapy System offers comfortable cold therapy in an affordable, convenient, portable and effective package. If you’re in search of a better option than ice, frozen gels or a bag full of frozen peas, we urge you to upgrade to Black Ice. It’s the 21st Century for crying out loud–Isn’t it time you broke out of the Ice Age?