Ice Massages: When Should You Get Them?

Ice massages add the beneficial properties of cryotherapy and massage. When should you get one?

Many pieces of research have proven that cold elements are great for therapeutic purposes. One of the most popular is ice massages. Generally, using several beneficial techniques to treat one pathology usually has a greater effect since all effects add up in the end. Therefore, ice massages apply the effects of two separate techniques, something very beneficial in certain cases.

What are ice massages all about?

Some people like to call this technique cryo massage. It consists of performing a massage while applying elements of cryotherapy (low temperature), may it be ice or another element. However, the important thing is that the cold effect is preserved on the patient.

Low temperatures have different positive effects. For example, vasoconstriction, analgesia, and slowing down metabolism. In other words, it lowers the blood supply to the area which, as a result, desensitizes it and makes cellular processes work in a slower manner.

Therefore, the cold is important, especially when it comes to inflammatory processes or acute injuries. However, after about 20 minutes, it has the opposite effect on the body. To protect itself from such a low temperature, there’ll be vasodilation, which will increase blood flow if the technique is applied for a long time.

Generally speaking, the main objective of massages is to relax the tissues, as it acts on the muscles. Through careful mobilization of muscle fibers, there’s a reestablishment of correct circulation in the area, which eliminates all restrictions.

Now, massages differ in the pressure and movements the professional uses to carry them out. Choosing one or the other will depend on the depth you want to reach and the affected tissues.

When should you get ice massages?

By adding the effects of both techniques, it’s possible to determine which are the most useful cases for its application. First of all, it’s worth mentioning that many individuals use it after training.

After a demanding session, the cold will help the tissues return to normal more quickly and prevent possible muscle damage. On the other hand, applying it through a massage will help to calm and relax the tissues so that the patient recovers in a shorter period of time.

Secondly, this method is great to treat acute inflammatory processes such as a sprain, a contusion, or post-traumatic edema. In other words, when the person suffered a blow and wants to reduce its impact.

As you can see, cold is very effective in slowing down edema or limiting inflammation in the acute phases. Applied with a massage, it’ll help reduce the extent of the injury and the tissues to recover faster.

Third, ice massages are also effective at the end of a physiotherapy session meant to treat inflammatory disease. For instance, if the individual suffers from bursitis, after a session with mobilizations, exercises, and stretching, an ice massage would definitely help the body return to normal.

Finally, they can also treat muscle spasms or contractures. In both cases, it’s quite an acute process. If they’re chronic, it’d be much better to apply heat.

If the patient just suffered a contracture or a muscle spasm, ice massages will definitely help to stop both processes.

Precautions

In general, applying cold in a specific part of the body and accompanying it with a massage doesn’t entail great dangers. However, it’s vital to consider certain scenarios that can be harmful.

On the one hand, you shouldn’t apply cold before exercising. This would make it more difficult to warm up, which is necessary for the proper functioning of the body when carrying out physical exercise.

Likewise, it’s important to be careful if the patient suffers from circulatory problems or if they’re hypersensitive to cold. Also, applying cold to the skin should be brief (it must never exceed one hour, as it can cause burns).

Finally, it’s necessary to remember that the ice or whatever element used to apply cold must be in constant movement. It can never be left static on the patient’s body.

Their effectiveness

In brief, you can see that ice massages can be very effective, especially in acute situations. For this reason, many individuals use them in sports contexts. For instance, if an athlete suffered damage to their body, it’s quite common for them to choose an ice massage to relieve pain. Nonetheless, others apply it to treat pathologies, as well as aiding recovery.