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It's crucial to know the age of your injury, when it began, and where to apply heat or ice for effective treatment.
STAGE 1: ACUTE INJURY (3-5 DAYS POST-INJURY)
During this stage, immediate cellular response to tissue injury occurs, resulting in swelling, redness, pain, and tenderness. Range of motion may decrease. The primary goal is to reduce inflammation and swelling.
Treatment: Ice!
STAGE 2: SUBACUTE (3 DAYS - 8 WEEKS POST-INJURY)
Cellular regeneration leads to new collagen formation and tissue repair. Pain and swelling decrease, but there may be discomfort when stretching injured tissues. The aim is healthy tissue repair with minimal scar tissue.
Treatment: Ice and heat!
If there's significant redness and swelling, continue with ice as in the Acute phase. If swelling decreases or there's pain beyond normal range of motion, use a heat pack for up to 20 minutes. Alternating between ice and heat is also an option.
PHASE 3: CHRONIC (8 WEEKS+ POST-INJURY)
Continuous tissue healing occurs during this stage, which can last several years post-injury. Scar tissue reduction is crucial to promote healing similar to uninjured tissues. There may be aching but an increase in range of motion.
Treatment: Heat!
Heat helps reduce scar tissue formation and alleviates aching in this phase. Apply heat as in the Subacute stage and consider receiving at least one massage a month to further reduce scar tissue formation.