Is heat good for torn ligaments?

Have you ever injured yourself and had that one friend who always says to put some heat on it? Well, turns out they might not be completely wrong. In fact, using heat can actually help with certain types of injuries, including torn ligaments. So let’s dive into the world of pain management and see if heat is something we should all be considering.

The Science Behind It

Before we get started, let’s understand how this works. When you apply heat to an area of your body, your blood vessels dilate which increases blood flow to the injured area and voila, increased circulation often means faster healing times. Heat also helps to reduce muscle spasms caused by injury by increasing oxygen delivery in cells surrounding your affected tissues.

What Kinds of Ligament Injuries Benefit From Heat Therapy?

Now that we know a little bit more about how it all works let’s discuss what kinds of injuries heat therapy prevails most useful for –

Grade 1 Sprains

If you have suffered from a mild sprain or ligament tear (a “Grade 1” strain), applying some soothing warmth can feel great as well as promote quicker recovery time.

Chronic Pain Management

Heat therapy has been shown effective in easing deep tissue pain such as that associated with chronic conditions like osteoarthritis or tendonitis.

But it’s important to recognize when adding too much warmth could do harm.

Grade 2-3 Sprains & Chronic Swelling

For severe strains like grade two or three tears accompanied by significant inflammation/ swelling; ice may offer greater benefit due its anti-inflammatory properties than applying plain old heating pads.

Understanding The Healing Time Frame Before Applying Heat

As they say – patience is key! Wait until acute symptoms decrease before incorporating any type direct skin contact heating methods:

  • For acute stage severe tears or strains make sure to ice the area for first 24-48 hours following injury. Heat application at this time may worsen inflammation and therefore pain.

Once cold therapy or RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) course is nearing its end thermal treatments such as heating pads can be incorporated-but it’s essential to take precautions:

Precautions

Before you go ahead with putting some heat on your torn ligament it’s important to keep in mind certain DOs and DON’Ts –

  • DON’T overheat!

    Think about that greasy slice of pizza: If too much excess heat becomes present – additional damage might occur when

    protein collagen fibers become weak/ unstable leading inefficient tissue healing & a decrease recovery speed.

    • DO use proper hygiene-

    skin irritation (aka rash) can really put a damper on an otherwise great treatment so make sure to clean equipment before each use!

  • Use stuff made for humans not animals

    Human-specific products work better than improvised methods such as Saddleback Ranch Cowboy Bean Surprise slow cookers believe me! In other words using rice-packs/mechanical models designed specifically for people often offers greater control,

And now you know how hottt-stuff affects how our sore + tired bodies get back into shape; however,

Other Ways To Manage Torn Ligaments

Heating rests amongst many possible strategies which seem valuable for treating ligament-related injuries check out some alternatives:

  • Acupuncture &
  • Tart cherry extract supplements
  • CBD oil derived from hemp

These are just few examples but there are multiple supplement / complementary medicine solutions available depending individual needs/pain thresholds/tolerances talked over with health practitioners FIRST.

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