Which to Use When: Ice or Heat?Written by Louise Roach
Knee pain after running? Wake up with a backache? Twist an ankle? When aches, pain, strains or swelling take place due to an injury or chronic condition, what is best course of action: ice or heat? Many people automatically assume heat will ease their discomfort. Think again! Ice and heat have opposite effects when dealing with inflammation and pain. Both are useful when applied at correct stage of an injury. Ice constricts blood vessels and decreases blood flow to an injured area, therefore reducing inflammation. It also numbs pain. Heat increases local blood circulation and relaxes tight muscles. When is it appropriate to use each? The Acute Injury Stage: Immediately after an injury occurs, inflammation and swelling takes place due to damaged soft tissues and broken blood vessels which leak blood into affected area. This is considered acute stage of an injury and lasts about 48 to 72 hours. Pain, stiffness, bruising and tissue tenderness are symptoms of acute stage. Ice should always be used immediately following an injury because it constricts blood vessels, which will lessen swelling, as well as numb pain and control bleeding. Apply ice no more than 20 minutes at a time. Always protect skin from tissue damage by using a cover over ice pack. Allow skin to return to normal temperature before reapplying ice. Heat should not be used during acute stage. It will increase blood leakage, which increases swelling and possibly pain. Most professionals agree that icing an acute injury will facilitate healing. Applying heat may actually slow healing during first 72 hours after an injury takes place. The Chronic Injury Stage: This is normally point at which inflammation decreases, approximately 72 hours after injury. Pain and stiffness may still be present. At this point, both ice and heat can be used to assist in healing. Use ice to control pain and to help with inflammation that might occur after working injured area, such as a sore knee after running. Use heat to relieve muscle tightness or joint stiffness. Heat is also helpful before a workout to increase blood flow to injury and warm up affected area. When applying heat, use moist warmth. Never use a heating device that is too hot nor sleep on a heating pad, which may result in burns. Apply heat only for 20-minute intervals, using same general guidelines as ice.
| | 7 Surefire Strategies For Fat Loss!Written by Richard Rigor
7 SureFire Strategies For Fat Loss! Copyright 2004 By Richard Rigor1. Weight Training. Building lean body mass (muscle) will speed up your body's metablism. Muscle is "active" tissue, meaning it takes calories to maintain. The more muscle you have, more calories you burn. You build muscle by doing resistance training exercises. Simple enough? Let's go on... 2. Reduce Carbohydrate Intake. Say what? I thought you need a lot of carbohydrates for fuel? True, but an excess intake of carbs (please don't call them carbos) can and will be stored as body fat. 100% of all my clients who reduce their carbohydrate intake for fat loss succeed. I can't let all my tricks out of bag in fairness to my paying clients, but a good starting point would be 1 - 1.25 grams of carbohydrate per pound of lean body weight per day. 3. Eat Frequently. I know you've all heard this before and it's true. Four to six meals daily has its benefits, especially on a sub maintenance calorie diet. It allows for a steady flow of nutrients to body which creates a favorable metabolics environment for muscle growth and fat loss. 4. Eat More Protein. That's right... The building blocks of muscle are amino acids, and you get that from protein. I've found that many of my clients consumed too little protein. Now that I've taught them these nutritional tactics, they're on their way to losing fat and getting lean! Isn't that what you want?
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