How to Apply Cold Therapy
Use cold therapy as part of PRICE., Use a gel pack., Apply a chemical cold pack., Find anything that is cold., Utilize a vapocoolant spray., Take an ice bath., Get an ice massage., Try a cryo/cuff., Prevent infection with medicated ice.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Use cold therapy as part of PRICE.
PRICE stands for Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.
Icing an injury just after it happens is important, and you should use every element of PRICE in conjunction with cold therapy.
Every element of PRICE is useful in helping ice do its work, which is to reduce pain from swelling and inflammation.
In other words, choose one method of delivering cold therapy as part of your PRICE regimen. -
Step 2: Use a gel pack.
A gel pack is a flexible plastic bag filled with a freezable gel.
Even after being frozen, gel packs are still malleable and useful for placing over the injured area.
Because of this flexible characteristic, gel packs can easily be molded over injured parts of the body.Gel packs are best kept in the freezer for storage so they can be removed and used instantly.
Gel packs are reusable and can simply be placed back in the freezer once you are done using them.
Use a thin cloth or towel between the skin and the gel pack to prevent frostbite.
You can make your own gel pack by freezing 2 cups of water and 1 cup of rubbing alcohol in a gallon plastic freezer bag., Chemical cold packs are useful for outdoor first aid because they are not frozen.
Instead, you squeeze or bend the pack to break apart the chemicals inside.
The mixture of water and ammonium nitrate creates a chemical reaction that instantly cools the pack.After bending or hitting the cold pack to mix the chemicals inside, a chemical cold pack can be applied the same as a frozen gel pack.
Chemical cold packs don’t have to be refrigerated, so they are useful for tossing into your bag when you are leaving the house.
You can also include them in a first aid kit that you carry around.
Keep a thin cloth or towel with the chemical cold pack to prevent freezer burn on the skin. , You are not limited to a gel pack or chemical cold pack.
You can use anything in your freezer that can be safely applied to the body.
You can use a plastic baggie filled with ice cubes.
You can even use a bag of unopened frozen vegetables.Use the same principle you would use for a gel pack—use a thin towel between the ice pack and skin and return it to the freezer when you are done.
If you use frozen vegetables or other food, keep in mind the that it might thaw and become inedible.
Be sure you are ok with this before using.
Stay away from frozen meat because as meat thaws, bacteria in raw meat can become active and transfer to the skin.
You can also use rigid frozen items like hard ice packs (as would be used in a food cooler) or a frozen water bottle, although these items may not be as effective since they can’t conform to every surface. , Vapocoolant sprays are useful if you just need a fast cooling effect rather than long-term icing.
These sprays evaporate very fast.
They remove heat from the body as they evaporate, providing immediate but temporary relief.
Vapocoolant sprays are often used in topical pain relief, such as associated with an IV or other needle insertion (like a vaccine shot), rather than as treatment for a sprain or muscle injury., Ice baths are useful for submerging injured joints or other body parts that are awkward to wrap, such as elbows, ankles, feet, and hands.
You simply fill a container large enough for the injured body part with ice cubes and water.
However, you should wrap the injury first to provide both compression and insulation from the cold.You might fill a bathtub, a clean cooler, or a large bucket to prepare an adequate ice bath. , You may have heard of massages that use heat therapy to warm up muscles for pain relief.
An ice massage, however, seeks to accomplish the opposite effect.
Ice numbs sore muscles like an analgesic would, as well as reduces inflammation and swelling.
Massage contributes to this effect by manipulating the soft tissues.An ice massage therapist will take a ball of ice and place it inside a plastic wand so that they can push the ice along your muscles without freezing their hands or fingers. , If you need compression with cold therapy, a cryo/cuff provides both.
It is a sleeve you slip onto an injured limb, and an attached pouch is filled with cold water.
A tube going from a tank to the sleeve pumps the sleeve full of cold water.
The water should be cycled out of the cuff every one or two hours.
Cryo/cuffs are useful after surgery to joints and limbs for pain relief. , If you have an abrasion on top of an injury, using ice treated with an antiseptic like iodine or chlorhexidine is useful.
Putting the treated ice directly on the skin will allow transfer of the medication, which may prevent infection in the skin opening.These preparations may also contain lidocaine, which is a anesthetic which can stop pain in the area.For example, you could freeze a popsicle mold, ice cube tray, or other container fill with water mixed with 10% povidone-iodine and 2% lidocaine with a popsicle stick stuck it in.
When you need it, you can grab the popsicle stick and rub the medicated ice over the sore to provide both pain relief and infection prevention.
Keep the medicated ice moving or rolling along the injury to prevent damage to the skin.
Only do this for 10 minutes or less. -
Step 3: Apply a chemical cold pack.
-
Step 4: Find anything that is cold.
-
Step 5: Utilize a vapocoolant spray.
-
Step 6: Take an ice bath.
-
Step 7: Get an ice massage.
-
Step 8: Try a cryo/cuff.
-
Step 9: Prevent infection with medicated ice.
Detailed Guide
PRICE stands for Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.
Icing an injury just after it happens is important, and you should use every element of PRICE in conjunction with cold therapy.
Every element of PRICE is useful in helping ice do its work, which is to reduce pain from swelling and inflammation.
In other words, choose one method of delivering cold therapy as part of your PRICE regimen.
A gel pack is a flexible plastic bag filled with a freezable gel.
Even after being frozen, gel packs are still malleable and useful for placing over the injured area.
Because of this flexible characteristic, gel packs can easily be molded over injured parts of the body.Gel packs are best kept in the freezer for storage so they can be removed and used instantly.
Gel packs are reusable and can simply be placed back in the freezer once you are done using them.
Use a thin cloth or towel between the skin and the gel pack to prevent frostbite.
You can make your own gel pack by freezing 2 cups of water and 1 cup of rubbing alcohol in a gallon plastic freezer bag., Chemical cold packs are useful for outdoor first aid because they are not frozen.
Instead, you squeeze or bend the pack to break apart the chemicals inside.
The mixture of water and ammonium nitrate creates a chemical reaction that instantly cools the pack.After bending or hitting the cold pack to mix the chemicals inside, a chemical cold pack can be applied the same as a frozen gel pack.
Chemical cold packs don’t have to be refrigerated, so they are useful for tossing into your bag when you are leaving the house.
You can also include them in a first aid kit that you carry around.
Keep a thin cloth or towel with the chemical cold pack to prevent freezer burn on the skin. , You are not limited to a gel pack or chemical cold pack.
You can use anything in your freezer that can be safely applied to the body.
You can use a plastic baggie filled with ice cubes.
You can even use a bag of unopened frozen vegetables.Use the same principle you would use for a gel pack—use a thin towel between the ice pack and skin and return it to the freezer when you are done.
If you use frozen vegetables or other food, keep in mind the that it might thaw and become inedible.
Be sure you are ok with this before using.
Stay away from frozen meat because as meat thaws, bacteria in raw meat can become active and transfer to the skin.
You can also use rigid frozen items like hard ice packs (as would be used in a food cooler) or a frozen water bottle, although these items may not be as effective since they can’t conform to every surface. , Vapocoolant sprays are useful if you just need a fast cooling effect rather than long-term icing.
These sprays evaporate very fast.
They remove heat from the body as they evaporate, providing immediate but temporary relief.
Vapocoolant sprays are often used in topical pain relief, such as associated with an IV or other needle insertion (like a vaccine shot), rather than as treatment for a sprain or muscle injury., Ice baths are useful for submerging injured joints or other body parts that are awkward to wrap, such as elbows, ankles, feet, and hands.
You simply fill a container large enough for the injured body part with ice cubes and water.
However, you should wrap the injury first to provide both compression and insulation from the cold.You might fill a bathtub, a clean cooler, or a large bucket to prepare an adequate ice bath. , You may have heard of massages that use heat therapy to warm up muscles for pain relief.
An ice massage, however, seeks to accomplish the opposite effect.
Ice numbs sore muscles like an analgesic would, as well as reduces inflammation and swelling.
Massage contributes to this effect by manipulating the soft tissues.An ice massage therapist will take a ball of ice and place it inside a plastic wand so that they can push the ice along your muscles without freezing their hands or fingers. , If you need compression with cold therapy, a cryo/cuff provides both.
It is a sleeve you slip onto an injured limb, and an attached pouch is filled with cold water.
A tube going from a tank to the sleeve pumps the sleeve full of cold water.
The water should be cycled out of the cuff every one or two hours.
Cryo/cuffs are useful after surgery to joints and limbs for pain relief. , If you have an abrasion on top of an injury, using ice treated with an antiseptic like iodine or chlorhexidine is useful.
Putting the treated ice directly on the skin will allow transfer of the medication, which may prevent infection in the skin opening.These preparations may also contain lidocaine, which is a anesthetic which can stop pain in the area.For example, you could freeze a popsicle mold, ice cube tray, or other container fill with water mixed with 10% povidone-iodine and 2% lidocaine with a popsicle stick stuck it in.
When you need it, you can grab the popsicle stick and rub the medicated ice over the sore to provide both pain relief and infection prevention.
Keep the medicated ice moving or rolling along the injury to prevent damage to the skin.
Only do this for 10 minutes or less.
About the Author
Jordan Gonzalez
Jordan Gonzalez has dedicated 24 years to mastering technology and innovation. As a content creator, Jordan focuses on providing actionable tips and step-by-step guides.
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