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back pain

Ice or Heat for Herniated Discs

Many patients ask whether to use ice or heat for herniated discs, since they are not sure which treatment is better to relieve their pain. While heat and ice are good symptomatic treatments for some types of back pain, they will certainly do nothing at all to resolve the underlying condition causing disc pain.


Ice or Heat for Herniated Discs

Ice or Heat for Herniated Discs / Which to Use?

Ice is an anti-inflammatory agent which will reduce swelling and temporarily retard circulation when applied. Ice is also an anesthetic agent and will reduce pain in muscular tissues. However, ice will also enact a reflex response as the body reacts to the cold by expanding blood flow to the affected area.

Heat increases cellular activity and circulation. Heat loosens tight muscles and helps in the removal of cellular waste products, due to increased blood flow.

For most injuries, ice is recommended for the first 24 to 48 hours and heat is recommended from then on. Ice should be left on for 15 to 20 minutes at a time and the area should be allowed to warm for at least 30 minutes between applications. Heat can be applied liberally and is especially effective when wet heat is utilized.

Ice or Heat for Herniated Discs / Indications

Ice and heat are not usually effective for resolving actual disc related pain. Pain due to a pinched nerve, foraminal stenosis or sciatica, related to a herniated or degenerated disc, will not respond significantly to ice or heat. However, actual disc related pain is quite rare and many patients do receive considerable relief from using ice, heat or a combination of the 2. In these cases, this symptomatic herniated disc relief provides some evidence that the abnormal disc condition might exist, but is not the actual source of pain. Many patients who enjoy relief from ice or heat are actually suffering from ischemia, which definitely responds to changes in temperature…

Advice on Ice or Heat for Herniated Discs

Neither ice, nor heat, will help to reduce to effects of a herniated disc. Most patients who experience pain relief are actually enjoying the benefits of the treatment on surrounding muscular tissues. Sometimes, a disc condition might be the source of this muscular discomfort, but many times, the disc is completely blameless when it comes to back muscle pain. Patients who have chronic muscular soreness or experience muscle spasms are often suffering from oxygen deprivation, not disc pain. These ischemic conditions generally improve significantly using ice and heat, but unfortunately, the effect is extremely temporary. If this represents your own back pain experience, it is time to consider the possibility that your pain might not be disc related at all…

Think about losing the ice pack and heating pad and choosing to explore alternative medicine for herniated discs.

Ice or Heat for Herniated Discs to Herniated Disc Home
7/19/08 Revised 12/5/09


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