#tendonitis

When to use ice

A trip to your freezer may be the path to relief if you’re dealing with the following situations: • Acute injuries. Icing can limit that “owie” feeling and minimize swelling if you’ve just sprained an ankle, slammed a finger in a door or fell and bumped something hard. Bring the chill ASAP for best results, too. • Tendinitis. Want to quiet a tendinitis flare-up after overdoing an activity? Applying ice can ease the inflammation in your tendons, the connective tissue between your muscles and bones. • Gout flare-ups. When gout-related pain and inflammation strike individual joints, ice can calm the flare-ups while also helping numb the pain, says rheumatologist Linda Mileti, MD. (This is one arthritis issue where cold works best.) • Headaches or migraines. Chilling out with a little cold treatment can sometimes dull a throbbing headache by reducing inflammation and slowing pain signals in the brain, says neurologist Emad Estemalik, MD. • Fever. Some gentle cooling to your forehead or under your arms can offer relief if your body temperature soars into the triple digits, says family medicine physician Neha Vyas, MD. (But skip this treatment if your fever is giving you chills.) • Bleeding. Icing constricts blood vessels, which can slow bleeding and allow clotting in a wound. (Combining ice with pressure brings the best results.)

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When to use heat

Getting toasty with treatment often helps in the following situations: • Muscle knots. Over-exertion, stress or tension can knot your muscles in an oh-so-painful way. Heat can help loosen things up by increasing blood flow to the affected area, says Dr. Rex. • Arthritis. Warmth (especially moist heat) can help loosen up joints stiffened by arthritis while also reducing pain. “Patients with more chronic osteoarthritis usually feel better with heat,” notes Dr. Mileti. • Tension headaches. Ever feel so tense that your head hurts? Gentle heat can ease tight neck and shoulder muscles that can fuel tension headaches, recommends Dr. Estemalik. • Tendinosis. Heat is best for relieving the irritation and stiffness caused by tendinosis, a chronic, long-term condition. (One caveat, though: The warmth only works after any inflammation goes away.) • Menstrual cramps. Applying heat on your lower back or abdomen can sometimes ease menstrual cramps and the pain felt during periods, shares Ob/Gyn Marissa Levine, DO.

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When to use ice and heat