Ice vs. Heat Cheat Sheet

Should you use ice or heat?

When something hurts, what’s going to help most?

Here’s your rule of thumb:

🎶 Ice is nice when you’re bruised, inflamed, or swollen…

Heat is neat for stiffness, a knot or a kink. 🎶

JUST ONE THING

If you're in pain, should you reach for ice or heat?

It depends on what is causing your pain.

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Your JUST ONE THING to Choose Ice or Heat

Inflammation and swelling = Ice; Stiffness and Cramping = Heat

Here’s the breakdown:
• Use ice when there’s inflammation or swelling.‍

‍Stubbed toe? Rolled ankle? Elbow tendinitis? Post-workout knee pain? → Ice it.

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• Use heat when things feel tight, stiff, or crampy.‍

‍Woke up with a kinked neck? Threw your back out? Achy, arthritic joints? → Go with heat.

It’s a simple rule of thumb, but it makes a big difference in how quickly you feel better.

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Got Pain? When to Use Ice and Heat

1. Use ice for acute injuries like a stubbed toe, rolled ankle, or twisted knee. These sudden injuries often swell, bruise, and hurt a lot. Ice helps reduce inflammation and control swelling.
2. Use ice for joint pain from overuse, such as sore knees after a workout or elbow tendinitis. That lingering ache is usually inflammation, and ice can help calm it down.
3. Use heat for stiffness and spasms, like waking up with a kinked neck, tweaking your back, or dealing with muscle tightness. Heat helps those guarded muscles relax—and it’s also great for arthritic joints.

Extra Tip: Sometimes alternating between BOTH ice and heat can feel really good, especially for arthritic joints or a painful muscle that’s a week or so into the healing process.

Did You Know...

• Inflammation (or more specifically the “acute inflammatory response”) is part of healing. This response is your body’s way of healing itself. (When the inflammation gets out of hand, that’s when you’ve got some problems.)
• Heat helps joints move better. It can improve the lubricating properties of other joint tissues, making the joint move smoother and easier.
• Pain doesn’t always mean damage. Muscle cramps, spasms, and kinks are often just nerves and muscles that need help relaxing—and heat can do just that.

‍Until next week... Be strong💪

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