Showing posts with label cold pack. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cold pack. Show all posts

1/14/2013

Using a hot and cold pack for your Neck, Shoulders and Upper Back

In this special video Dr. Bellinger discusses a great hot and cold pack that works well on your neck, upper back and shoulders. This 9x16 hot and cold pack is very versatile and works great for muscle spasm, neck pain, upper back pain and shoulder pain.

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Arc4life.com for your online selection of cervical support neck pillows, orthopedic pain relief products and Home traction units. Products for pain relief. Add to Technorati Favorites Delicious Bookmark this on Delicious Stumble It!

10/13/2010

Using a Hot and Cold Pack to get Maximum Relief

At Arc4life.com one of the products we specialize in is hot and cold packs. Whether you have acute pain or chronic pain, having a versatile hot and cold pack at home is a necessary for healing.

One simple idea is use a bag of frozen peas or carrots right out of the freezer. We have all done that in the past. You have been playing basketball outside with your friends, and you fall on the hard pavement bruising your knee. You run inside, clean the area, and see that it is swelled. Right away, you are probably thinking ice this knee down for maximum pain relief. Using frozen vegetables maybe the first thing that comes to mind. But frozen vegetables may not retain the cold for a long period of time, they may start to melt all over the knee, into your socks and then you could have a faint odor of carrots on you, then may not go away quickly. Also, you cannot use that frozen vegetable for food now. Well technically you can, but freezing and refreezing can ruin the taste of a product.

A better idea is to use a gel filled hot and cold pack. Why? Because first of all you can use your therapy pack for hot or for cold. Simply putting the therapy pack in the microwave for 1-2 minutes can provide wonderful heat therapy. Second, gel filled hot and cold packs retain their temperature longer. A cold pack will stay colder longer and a hot pack will stay hotter longer. Third, you can use and reuse as many times as you need. These therapy packs last a long time. Fourth, the cover on the hot and cold pack is gentle against the skin. It is always advised that you wrap the therapy pack in a towel before using, but you don’t have to with basic hot and cold packs. Finally, you can get a therapy pack in many different sizes, suited for many different body parts. So if for example you know that you are getting knee surgery and the Dr has advised you to use a hot pack on your knee you can get a gel therapy pack that will fit your knee area perfectly. You can even buy therapy packs that have a strap on them. The elastic strap attaches to the pack to hold it in place. Great for arms, knees, elbows, necks and shoulders. These are called Dual Comfort Hot and Cold packs.

These Dual Comfort Hot and Cold Packs comes in 5 sizes (see below for sizes available). These hot and cold packs have an elastic strap that attaches to the pack to hold the therapy pack in place. Also, there are two surfaces to the therapy packs. The light blue is a rapid-release surface (quicker results for acute injuries), and the dark blue is the slow release surface (sub-acute injuries). These hot and cold packs can be heated in the microwave or in a hot towel cabinet.
Which Hot and Cold Pack Size is Right for You?
SizeStrap
Size
Great for:Hot and Cold Therapy Pack: How to Use it
3”x 5” 6” Straphand, arm, foot, finger, ankle
6”x10”18” Strapshoulder, hip
Click here for more info
10”x13”28” Straplower back, leg, midback, between the shoulder blades
Click here for more info
6”x 20”12” Strapneck, shoulders, upper back, lower back
Click here for more info
9”x 16”28” Strapupper back- will cover the neck, upper neck, shoulders, trapezius, and upper back area
Click here for more info



Additional Information on Hot and Cold Packs and Related information:

10/30/2008

Easy Pain Relief at Home: Using Heat and Ice

Understand when you should use moist heat and when you shoulder use iceYou were in a whiplash type accident, what should you use on your neck? Ice or Heat? You have been suffering with low back pain for 4 months, what should you use on your lower back? Ice or Heat?

The Use of Ice and Heat Therapy has been found to be very beneficial for not only decreasing pain but also controling pain. Cold Therapy or Ice should be used in the acute phase of an injury- you bump your knee on the coffee table, immediately apply ice. This aids in decreasing inflammation and numbs the immediate pain. Ice can sometimes increase pain that arises from a trigger point, so don't use cold therapy in these cases.

Use heat therapy for the treatment of muscle spasms. It relaxes the muscles and stimulates vasodilation to help remove inflammatory toxins and by products of muscle spasm. Because using heat can increase inflammation, it should be avoided during the acute phase.

**In general, begin with using ice during the acute inflammatory phase, as long as you can tolerate it, and then move on to heat therapy.

Read more about Hot and Cold Therapy - Understand the optimum way to use heat and cold for pain relief
Photo Courtesy of QueenThings on Flickr.com

Visit Ice and Moist Heat Therapy for your acute and chronic injuries: Pain Relief for your neck and lower back

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9/18/2008

THE BENEFIT OF HAVING A HANDY ICE PACK AND HEAT PACK

,Arc4life Hot and Cold Packs hold the cold and the heat in for long periods of time. Another great benefit is that the gel is flexible and soft. You can sit against it, lie on it, drape it over your shoulder, you name it.
Having that ice pack or hot pack ready to go when you need it is a big benefit. I still remember when I was younger, coming home from practice or a game. It’s inevitable something was hurting or an older injury was acting up. I put ice in a bag and wrapped it around my arm or leg with a towel. The ice would melt in 15 minutes making a big mess if the bag did not seal good. And when it was sealed fine I would put it in the freezer and it would freeze as a big solid block, unable to use really.
For a hot pack I would run a cloth under hot water burning my hands doing so or burning them when I rung out the towel. Not to mention it would only stay warm for about 3 mintues so I would repeat the whole process. What a pain- literally.
Now with newer advanced gel packs things are so much simpler. You can just leave the ice pack in the freezer and take it out whenever you need it. Thaw it and put it in the microwave for minute you’ve got a hot pack. I leave one Dual Comfort hot/cold pack in the freezer and leave one in the cabinet. This way I always have a cold pack ready to go and the hot pack is ready in just 1 minute.
Best of all, it holds the cold and the heat in for long periods of time. So I don’t have to freeze or scald my hands every few minutes or worry about making a mess and soaking our couch with water.
Another great benefit is that the gel is flexible and soft. You can sit against it, lie on it, drape it over your shoulder, you name it.
We’ve come a long way from that hard block that you don’t have to hold against the back of your neck or burning yourself with a hot cloth to get some pain relief and relaxed muscles. Go to Arc4life for more information on heat and ice therapy.

Visit Arc4life.com for your online selection of cervical support neck pillows, orthopedic pain relief products and Home traction units

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7/13/2007

The Dreadful Unwanted Muscle Spasm and one Researchers Story

Recently Mr. Dhaliwal presented to our office with left sided neck and upper back pain. Mr. Dhaliwal is a researcher who uses his computer quite a bit. He doesn't realize it but he when he types he keeps his shoulders up in a scrunched up manner and looks down at his keyboard at hours on end (doing research). He is also under a lot of stress at work to complete deadlines and this definitely does not help the situation. After a consultation and examination it was found that Mr. Dhaliwal was having muscle spasms of the neck and upper back muscles.
What exactly is a muscle spasm, you may ask? A Muscle Spams is an involuntary contraction of a muscle or a muscle group. It is often very painful. Many times a muscle spasm keeps a muscle's motor unit continuously firing. This motion of continuous flexion of the neck (looking down) can have a negative effect on the soft tissue and nerves of the neck and shoulder region. It is suggested to our patient that he take frequent breaks to stretch your neck as often as possible.upper trapezius and cervical neck muscles
Without sufficient movement, over time, nerve supply flowing from the neck to the arms can be obstructed and lead to tingling or numbness in the arms and fingers and eventually, headaches. Just as there is a continuous flow between the fluids on a cellular level, there is also a certain natural flow, similar to electricity, within the nervous system. Whenever there is an obstruction of the nerve flow, the part of the body that is supplied by that nerve does not function at its fullest potential.
Because Mr. Dhaliwal is in acute pain today, one of the first things we do is use an ice pack for 10 minutes in the upper back and neck. We use a 9 x 16 tri-sectional ice pack because this will cover his upper back and neck area well. 9x16 trisectional ice pack for neck and upper back
We follow this up with the application of Biofreeze- a natural pain relieveing gel that works effectively on muscle spasms. Pressure is put on the upper trapezius as well as muscles of the neck with the Biofreeze similar to a deep tissue massage. Biofreeze natural pain relieving gel
It is also suggested that Mr. Dhaliwal take more breaks during the day. The simple activity of standing up and walking can stimulate nerve flow and allow his muscles to relax. Simple stretches for the trapezius muscle are also suggested; To stretch the trapezius muscles you drop your arms to your sides and slowly rolling your shoulders in a circular motion. You can also gradually add light hand weights and gently raising the shoulders upwards towards your ears. This will allow the muscles to eventually become stronger. Strong muscles reinforce and support the joints, and the neck consists of many joints between the individual vertebrae. Mr. Dhaliwal agrees that this stretch is very simple, something he can incorporate into his day.
the jackson roll traction
Finally, gentle cervical traction is also suggested. By placing a cervical roll or medium sized, rolled up towel under his neck, he can help relax the neck and shoulder muscles. Doing traction to his neck will support the cervical curve and increase the nerve and blood supply. Here is an example of a cervical roll: The Jackson Roll

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