Cryotherapy…otherwise known as an Ice Pack! If you are a patient of mine, you already know how much I value the use of an Ice Pack, particularly this one. Ice is such an important part of the treatment of most of the musculoskeletal conditions that I treat. it reduces your cellular metabolic rate and decreases inflammation and pain. It does this by a process called vasoconstriction, which is the narrowing of the blood vessels in the area. This lessens the blood volume in the area which lessens inflammation. This process also decreases the chance of your cells dying because it slows down the cellular metabolic rate and oxygen requirement.
A smaller Ice Pack is a great option for the neck, shoulders and low-back.
Whenever someone isn’t sure whether to ice an area or not, I liken their pain and inflammation to that of a sprained ankle. You would never heat a sprained ankle, you always ice it. So often this holds true for musculoskeletal pain in the body especially when dealing with the spine.
Drs. Anthony and Sandra Liperuote 