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Question: Doctor, should I apply ice or heat?
This is a commonly asked question and the answer depends on
several things. Fresh injuries, especially on ligaments or tendons,
are going to feel better with ice for 72 hours and after that, it is
okay to carefully try heat. Injuries that have a lot of pain with
them also respond better to ice most of the time, whereas, the
injuries that are more of an ache or are chronic, particularly in
the muscle, respond better to heat. There are no set rules, however,
and the purpose of ice or heat is to make you feel better. If you
try one and it does not work, switch to the other and see if you
feel better.
Right after an injury, the key word is R.I.C.E. This stands for:
R - rest
I - ice
C - compression
E - elevation for the first 72 hours.
After that, be careful and do what does not hurt.</
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