Ice vs heat. Heat vs ice. Mr Freeze vs Human Torch. Elsa vs Jafar (did he get fire powers at the end? Not important…)
I get asked this question a few times a week, so I’m happy to share what I have had the most success with in treating my patients.
If you just became injured (24 hours or less), get ice on it. In fact, if you can get ice on something like an ankle sprain within 5-10 MINUTES you may substantially improve your prognosis. Ice has anti-inflammatory properties that can be very powerful when treating an acute injury.
Other than that, my guidelines are more general. If it feels stiff, heat it. If it feels sore/painful, ice it. Tight low back? Throw a hot pack on there before your walk. Did that last hill kick your ass and now your back is a little sore? Now is a good time for an ice pack.
I’ve seen less success with doing both at the same time...
What if you just like either ice or heat more than the other? DO THAT. Patients generally do the best with what they like best.
Personally, I prefer ice. I mean, drinking Scotch straight up is kinda gross….
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