Does Cold Therapy Help Maintain Your Joint Health?

Cryotherapy for Joints: The 'What' and 'How' Factors!

As mentioned above, cryotherapy or cold therapy features the application of cold as a treatment method to relieve joint pain symptoms. Apart from the most commonly used ice application, there are other methods:

1. Ice Packs or Cold Packs 
2. Cold Water Immersions
3. Ice Massage Therapy
4. Cold Compress Wraps
5. Cold Sprays
6. Cold Compression Therapy Devices
7. Cryotherapy Chambers
8. Cold Gel Packs
9. Cold Bathing and Soaking
10. Cooling Gels or Creams

How Do Cold Therapies Work?

Cold therapy reduces pain around a joint in the following ways:

• It reduces severe inflammation by constricting the blood vessels.
• It numbs out the pain-sensing nerves.
• It also reduces unnecessary and excessive fluid secretion around joints.

Ayurveda Cold Therapies for Joint Pain Relief

While Ayurvedic concepts of treating a condition never involve ice application over an affected area, some methods of bringing coolness to a joint inflammation are as follows:

Herbal Poultice (Lepa)

A paste made up of anti-inflammatory medicinal herbs comprises cooling properties. Hence, you can apply this poultice over an inflamed area. Application of Healing Cooling Oils

Here, you use oils prepared from medicines containing cooling properties—for example, coconut oil, sesame oil, etc.

Cooling Soak

Cooling medicinal water is prepared from herbs to dip in the affected part of your body, such as an inflamed foot.

Pouring of Cooling Infusions

Herbal infusions are prepared, cooled, and poured in a thin stream over the painful area. Milk and ghee have excellent cooling properties. 

Tips to Apply Cold Therapies Safely and Effectively

You know that applying cold can reduce the blood supply to an area. However, reducing blood to a site for a longer duration comes with its own set of risks.

• Prolonged cold therapy damages your skin, like when you get frostbite.
   
• Applying cold therapy to a larger region, such as dipping yourself in cold water for longer, will reduce your heart function.
   
• Cold therapy can reduce your overall body temperature, making you severely hypothermic.

How to Apply Cold Safely?

1. Keep a cloth or any barrier between your skin and cold, frozen items you use for the therapy.
    
2. Apply for only 10-15 minutes at a time.
    
3. Check your skin for sensation while you apply cold.
    
4. Do not immediately dip your painful area into boiling water if you have used cold excessively. Doing so will only cause more damage to your skin.

To Conclude

Adopting cold therapy into your joint treatment plans can act as a catalyst to the healing process. These therapies give you multiple benefits, from reducing joint inflammation to reducing muscle tension. Find the balance you need for your joint inflammation and overall joint health.

Consult your doctor to know what works best for you.