Ice or heat after chiropractic adjustment

Some localised tenderness may be noticed, especially if you were in pain prior to your adjustment. This is a normal reaction by the muscle and surrounding soft tissue.

Apply an ice pack that is wrapped in a cloth or paper towel to the area that the chiropractor has suggested for 15 minutes. Remove for 1 hour. (Any more than this and you run the risk of frostbite!)

Repeat this procedure as needed to help reduce pain and swelling. Lie on your side to ice; try to avoid sitting on an ice pack while icing your low back

 Try to stay gently mobile as much as possible. Walking (or crawling) induces motion, which is good. When sitting try to do so in a straight backed chair. (Avoid recliners and couches.)

 Do not use heat (which increases swelling) near the spine. Avoid smoking (which interferes with healing). Do not carry large purses or carry your wallet in your back pocket. (These can alter biomechanics of your lower back.)

Drink large amounts of water. This will help flush toxins from your body and help your body to heal. Eat vegetables and fruits – these also help the healing process. Avoid alcohol (this will increase the swelling).

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After a Chiropractic adjustment, people can sometimes feel uncomfortable or pain in certain areas and ignoring this issue may lead to prolonged discomfort.  Heat and ice therapy helps to promote the healing process.  Ice is useful to help decrease inflammation and swelling, and applying heat helps to improve flexibility. By extension, alternating between ice and heat improves circulation to the affected area.

ICE FOR FIRST THREE DAYS:

  1. Take a bag of ice/ice pack/packet of frozen peas.
  2. Wrap ice in a moist tea towel (prevents ice burns or frostbite).
  3. Apply ice to the area for 10 minutes (time can vary depending on the size of the body part and your reaction. However no longer than 10 minutes).
  4. Remove for 10 minutes.
  5. Repeat this twice more so that ice has been applied 3 times.
  6. Have a break for 1 hour before next application.
  7. Repeat as often as can be tolerated.

FOR DAYS FOUR AND FIVE ALTERNATE BETWEEN ICE AND HEAT:

  1. Take a wheat pack/hot water bottle wrapped in a damp towel with warm or hot water/ or microwave wet towel for 30 sec.
  2. Apply for 5 minutes. (or until towel cools)
  3. Remove and apply ice for 10 minutes.
  4. Repeat hot-cold treatment twice more.
  5. Use hot- cold procedure 3 times daily.

FOR DAYS SIX AND SEVEN USE HEAT:

  1. Use wheat pack/hot water bottle etc.
  2. Apply for 10 minutes.
  3. Remove for 10 minutes.
  4. Repeat 2 more times and do procedure 3 times during day.

Ice or heat after chiropractic adjustment

Ice or heat after chiropractic adjustment
You’re working in your garden or around the house when you feel something “pull” in your back. “It’s probably just a muscle pain,” you think and you go for all the things that will add some heat to those muscles.

You might try a long, hot bath or applying a heating pad or ointments that cause the muscles to increase in temperature.

At the same time, you try taking over-the-counter medications to alleviate the pain and inflammation.

This is the typical scenario of a patient that enters our office complaining of severe neck or back pain.

Something that started as “no big deal” a few days ago has been growing increasingly worse with the application of heat.

Strangely enough, it’s while the heat is applied that they actually feel their best. It is often the only time that the symptoms seem to subside at all. However, when dealing with the spine, you also have to take into consideration the spinal discs. The discs will respond to heat by swelling, which will only increase the pain.

Muscles do respond favorably to heat, giving that “aaaahhhh” feeling. When most patients apply ice, they don’t get that feeling so they assume it’s the wrong choice. The application of ice for about 15 minutes may not create immediate relief, but once the ice is removed, most patients will report a decrease in pain and soreness.

In nearly ever case, we will recommend ice over heat when dealing with neck and back pain. A simple test is to feel for heat over the painful area using the back of your hand. If you feel heat (or at least an increase in temperature) over that area, you don’t need more heat.

If taking an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory helps, realize that this is taking away the heat and that’s one of the reasons it helped. Adding more heat back in is just counterproductive. You almost can’t go wrong with ice, either.

The only way we see ice negatively affect patients is by using too much. When using ice, it’s important to give your skin some protection and a bit of a rest. You can use ice for 10 – 20 minutes depending on how much muscle is in the area. For example, the neck would be 10 minutes while the lower back would be 20 minutes.

Once you’ve applied the ice therapy (cryotherapy) to the area, you need to give your body a chance to rest for the rest of the hour. Applying ice pack after ice pack without that break can cause skin damage similar to frostbite.

For this same reason, it’s usually better to put a thin layer of cloth (like a towel or a t-shirt) between your skin and the ice pack. Applying the ice pack directly to the skin could be detrimental. For most people, this isn’t comfortable anyway, so this doesn’t tend to be a problem.

If you have any questions about which home therapy you should be doing for yourself, please check with your chiropractor. They will have a much better understanding of your problem and which modality will work best for you.

Is heat OK after chiropractic adjustment?

Heat therapy is excellent following a chiropractic adjustment because it helps stiff joints, muscle spasms, and temporary pain.

What should I do immediately after chiropractic adjustment?

26 Aug What to Do After A Chiropractic Adjustment.
Give Your Body Time to Rest..
Improve Your Sleep Routine..
Drink Plenty of Water..
Don't Sit for Long Periods of Time..
Pay Attention to Your Posture..
Good Changes to Your Posture are Normal..
Exercise on the Regular..
Continue to Visit Your Chiropractor..

Is it good to ice after chiropractic adjustment?

After a Chiropractic adjustment, people can sometimes feel uncomfortable or pain in certain areas and ignoring this issue may lead to prolonged discomfort. Heat and ice therapy helps to promote the healing process. Ice is useful to help decrease inflammation and swelling, and applying heat helps to improve flexibility.

What should I avoid after chiropractic adjustment?

After your adjustment, you don't want your body to immediately revert to the same position it was in. Avoid sitting for long periods of time after seeing the chiropractor, if possible, and enjoy the mobility that your adjustment has created by going for a long walk, or take a bike ride.