Warm Up, Cool Down | Hot & Cold Therapy Before & After Exercise

Hot and cold therapy can be beneficial before and after you exercise. The treatment plan will differ depending on whether you have an acute or chronic injury. An acute injury is a result of a physical impact or accident, such as a fall, rotating action, or direct strike. Acute injuries cause instantaneous pain. Conversely, the symptoms of a chronic injury develop over days, weeks, or longer. The overuse of muscles is frequently the cause of chronic injuries.

When an acute (traumatic) injury first takes place, bleeding, redness, swelling, and discomfort need to be managed. You should use an ice pack as early as possible in order to chill your tissues and narrow your blood vessels. You should leave a comforting cold pack on the injured area for 20 minutes at a time and apply it again every 2-3 hours. When signs of swelling and bleeding have disappeared, you may find it comforting to switch between cold packs and hot packs. When alternating between hot and cold therapy, you should apply an ice pack for 10 minutes, and then apply a hot pack for the same amount of time. A major increase in blood flow takes place to the affected area when you alternate between hot and cold packs.

Chronic (overuse) injuries should be treated with a hot pack for 20 minutes at a time. Hot packs help soften tight, tender areas and increase flexibility and blood flow, making them perfect to use before exercising. You should only use cold packs on overuse injuries after you exercise to decrease any leftover swelling.

THERA°PEARL has several reusable hot and cold packs that are perfect to use before and after you work out. The THERA°PEARL Sports Pack can be heated before working out to increase elasticity and chilled after working out to reduce any swelling you have.