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Be prepared with nature's tried-and-true remedies.
Give yourself and your family a jumpstart on treating common injuries by keeping Core's hot & cold packs on hand and ready to use in case your doctor recommends the R.I.C.E. (Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation.) or alternating heat and cold therapy.
A bag of ice may work in a pinch, but these packs are tailored to wrap, hug and bring relief to different parts of the body. Core's DualComfort Packs can deliver both cold and heat, and features a soft "frost-free" surface that protects your skin. Packs to soothe headaches and tired necks help round out this wide assortment. See for yourself and be prepared.
Featured Products - for full assortment click the category links on the left.
Hot-Cold Therapy Minimizes Pain and Discomfort
From Muscle Spasms to Menstrual Cramps, Alternating Heat and Cold Therapy Eases Pain
Hot-cold therapy can be very effective in controlling pain and speeding recovery from injuries or muscle and joint pain. To effectively use these treatments, just follow some simple guidelines.
Hot-cold therapy consists of alternating heat and cold therapy on the injury or area of pain. It is also known as contrast therapy. To understand hot-cold therapy, you would need to understand the basics of heat-cold therapy. Superficial heat therapies include heating pads, heat lamps, warm moist compressors, and medicated creams or gels. Pain associated with muscle spasms, leg cramps and menstrual cramps responds quickly to these superficial heat treatments. Deep heat therapies involve ultrasound treatment, electric stimulation or paraffin baths. Cold therapy often revolves around the acronym RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) and reminds us how to treat injuries, such as sprains, strains, bumps and bruises.
Applying cold therapy to these injuries short-circuits the body’s natural swelling response. It produces vasoconstriction, which slows circulation and reduces inflammation, muscle spasms and pain. Elevation uses gravity to encourage blood and fluid to flow away from the injured area, which assists in decreasing the swelling. Superficial cold therapy is available in commercial cold packs, iced towels/compression and forms of hydrotherapy. The duration of cold therapy is less than heat therapy, but the effect of the cold is known to last longer than heat.
By combining the beneficial effects of heat and cold therapy, the pain related to more chronic, long-term conditions could be vastly improved. Hot-cold therapy is most effective for long-standing pain and stiffness associated with arthritic problems and joint pain, but persistent swelling after an acute injury such as a sprain responds very well to hot-cold therapy. To perform hot-cold therapy, simply apply heat for five minutes, than apply cold for about five minutes. This cycle of hot/cold treatment should be conducted for 20 to 30 minutes. Both hot and cold treatments should never be applied directly to the skin. A barrier, such as a towel, should be placed between the hot or cold agent and the skin’s surface to prevent skin and nerve damage. Punctured commercial hot or cold packs should be immediately discarded, as the chemical agent/gel will burn the skin.
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