Heat: Helpful or Harmful?

There are two types of compresses in First Aid: ice packs and heat compresses. Cold compresses are best used to ease pain and reduce swelling, while hot compresses are best used to reduce joint stiffness and spasms.

Cold compresses best come in the form of ice packs and ice towels. Ice packs can be easily made by putting ice in a sealable bag filled with water then wrapping it in a damp towel. This should be applied to the affected area in order to reduce swelling, inflammation, bleeding, or pain.

Ice towels are just as easily created by dampening towels with cold water and placing it in a sealable bag. Then place the bag in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. Once it has been in the freezer for that long, apply it to the affected area.

Cold items, in general, have numbing effects, reducing pain and inflammation. This can be used to treat bursitis and tendonitis.

Heat compresses are best used in order to reduce muscle spasm and muscle stiffness, and to increase blood circulation in the impacted area. However, heating compresses should not be used in the first 48 hours after the injury.

Warm towels can be easily made by damping a towel in warm water and putting it on the injured region.

When applying heat via a heating pad to the affected area, it is extremely important that the device does not come in direct contact with the skin. Instead, wrap the heating pad in a cloth to prevent further damage.

Both compresses are useful in first aid, however, deciphering proper use of each compress is important in order to receive proper treatment.

SOURCES CITED:

Hopkins, Johns. “Ice Packs vs. Warm Compresses for Pain.” Johns Hopkins Medicine, 8 Aug. 2021, www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/ice-packs-vs-warm-compresses-for-pain.

“Title: Foot Pain: Ice Pack vs Heating Pad | Centennial Orthopedics & Podiatry.” Www.google.com, images.app.goo.gl/a96kRZomwUB4UT3f7. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.

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Written by: Mudra Vithal