Ice Or Heat For Back Pain Relief & Injury?

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Comparing Ice Therapy Versus Heat Therapy for back pain, muscle pain and injuries. It is important to know when to use one versus the other for best results. Get a PDF of effective & safe core exercises here:

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Tags: heat therpay, heat vs ice, ice therapy, ice versus heat, ice versus heat therapy, ice vs heat

45 thoughts on “Ice Or Heat For Back Pain Relief & Injury?”

When doing the contrast therapy how much time do you wait between using the heating pad and then using the icepack? Also how many times a day?

Hi I was diagnosed with bulging disc C6/7 pinching nerve 6 weeks ago. Getting better but sitting upright ie dining chair, driving still quite painful all down to finger tips. I did cycle regularly but can’t cycle at all at the moment.
By now should I be just HEATING or both?
By the way love the videos am doing the stretches and posture exercises they are helping 😁

Thank you!!! Excellent info and really needed!

This is great info thanks. I’ve been dealing with pain in my lower back from scoliosis and scataica. It’s also been going down my right leg. I was using a heat pad at night but my back would be throbbing. I’m going try a ice pack. I’ve been using biofreeze during the day some. Lately it’s been making me burn and turning red on my skin and itching,

Dose it work for you?
Plz reply

Thank you for this! I have ruptured discs and am so confused on how to go about relieving pain. It’s so sharp and painful it takes my breath away. So I’ve learned…wait about 3-4 days before using heat?

I sprained my lower back today while lifting weights. I came back to my room and put a heat pad on it and sleep for 2 hours. I just came to watch this video and realized I did everything I DIDN´T HAVE TO DO. No wonder I had more pain lol. Thanks for the video! Will definitely be applying ice for 20 minutes. I will let you know how that goes.

I injured my lower back deadlifting. Been using an ice pack for 3 days. No pain except if I’m sitting for a long time and a slight nerve pinching down to my left calf. Any advice? Thanks. 🙏🏼

How is it now?

Daryl Campbell yes. Please answer this question

Update : it went away in a week. I started deadlifting again a week later. Pro tip don’t workout if hungover. Also deadhang is ur best friend along with cobra stretch.

Why would you need advice if the pain almost completely went away?

I have injured my lower back in gym. 2 months away pain is not gone can you help me.

Thank you. VERY GLAD I FOUND YOUR VIDEO. Oops, I used heat alternating with a cold pack on the first AND second day, Now I know…ICE FOR 4 DAYS. My problem is lower back pain.

24hrs in to a horribly painful L4/5 relapse and tearing off a heat patch and turning off the electric heat pad…. Icing my second 20m/40m cycle and things are actually settling down…. Thank you so much

The best thing for sciatica is to take activities in sports

Just use ice bags are best for new injury

Very helpful video, especially for someone like me who has back pain.

@Bhanu Prakash same, is it gone for you now?

2:58- When to use Heat. 4:26- Contrast Therapy

What happened to ur back is it healed now because my lower back is swollen about a few weeks now

Im glad I clicked on your video. They’ve always told me to ice my back but never for how long. Thank you for letting us kniw that it’s only 20 minutes or you can cause more pain then let rest for a hour or 2 and then you can place ice back again for another 20 minutes.👍

@Bhanu Prakash did u recover?

this video should be made mandatory view for patients with back problems. I prefer to know and see how I can really help work with my physio (a knowledgeable, patient and good problem solver) is a minimum must. ( will stay with you for a good deal longer than your hour and working to help you get better.) Thank you so much. 5*****

Beginner to pull ups
I worked out abs, back triceps and chest… Then finished a mountain of laundry, and slept late at night for storyboards…
And the result was a back sprain
My fever isn’t going away for almost 24 hours now.
The only things that is helping is ice🙏🏻

I developed some lower back pain a week ago , and initially used Ice , my problem was I transitioned to heat too quickly . I went back to ice again and am now feeling better , will continue with the ice for a few days in 20 minute increments an hour or so apart , Thank you for this post .

Thank you, a very clear and simple video. Very helpful.

You are welcome!

I learned a few things but not as much as I hoped. You talked about the classic injury protocol of “ice in the 1st 72 hours and heat thereafter”. Well, that doesn’t help me because I have chronic lower back arthritis (disk degenerative disease). For months (maybe years), I applied heat to my lower back and it never got any better and maybe worsened. I went to a chiropractor and he said I should be icing my lower back. As soon as I starting icing, it was a godsend. Significant and quick improvement. Because my problem is inflammation, I NEVER use heat on my lower back. The only time I consider using heat is when I have my regularly scheduled SEVERE back spasms a few times a year. With a spasm, I NEVER use ice but instead focus on stretching. What I consider a good general strategy is heat in the morning to loosen things up and get the blood moving and ice at night to deal with the wear and tear of the day. It has worked quite well for me. Unfortunately, there is nothing concrete you can take from my approach. In other words, it doesn’t really make any sense. But it works for me.

I pulled my lower back at work about a week in a half and man have I been going about this wrong. Thank you

@The Changed man hows your back after 9 months?

Tip: my coworker slept on a heating pad! Resulting in a nasty burn on her shoulder! Always lay the pad on top of the area! Not sure why she didn’t feel the heat ,but she didn’t.

@Dheeraj same I also have similar injury my back. Did yours ever get better or heal or lessen

So the ice helped you? And how did you recover from disk herniation? What did you do

Yea how is it now did you get better or did the pain lessen

Did you end up getting better?

I slipped and fell on wet stairs in my early forties. It never bothered me. Now for the last 4 years. It is troubling me. I get that burning pain. Had Exrays done. Nothing showed up. I can hardly sleep at night. The way it pains.