Is ice massage therapy the answer for relieving my back pain? The answer is yes! If you are experiencing a sore back an ice massage may be just what the doctor ordered. If you are like me and have played a lot of sports you know that coaches usually carry several packets of "instant ice" in their first aid kits.
When there is an injury on the field the first thing a coach reaches for is an ice pack. The coach quickly activates the package placing it directly on the injured area. The ice does several things:
1. It reduces the swelling and inflammation.
2. It temporarily relieves the pain by stopping pain signals to your brain.
3. Prevents damage to injured tissue.
Now if you have a sore back you don't need a fancy ice packet. Just crush some ice, put it in a ziplock bag, wrap it in a towel and place on your sore back. Limit the ice to about ten minutes. Even a bag of frozen peas will work if you are in a rush.
To further improve on using ice to relieve your sore back try an ice massage. Simply take your bag of frozen peas or ice pack, place on the injured area and move it in a circular monition around the sore muscle. Don't put the ice directly on your skin, always have some protective cloth, towel or clothing between the ice an skin. Ice massage is a quick, free and effective way to quickly bring relief to your aching back. Personally I give myself an ice massage at least once a day. Usually after my forty mile daily work commute. On weekends depending on how active I am I may use the ice twice a day.
In my opinion ice massage therapy does work. The fact that coaches use this therapy as "first aid" for an injured player reinforces ice massage's effectiveness. However ice massage does not get at the root cause of your pain. For that you need a program or system that addresses the underlying cause of your pain/injury. Many times the real causes are weak muscles and/or muscle imbalance.
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