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‘I’ll take the peas, please’
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Frozen veggies come in handy when you need a cold pack. Simply grab a bag of peas or corn from your freezer, and wrap it in a thin towel for your back. A bag of crushed ice wrapped in a towel also may do the trick.
The towel is a must — it protects your skin from extreme cold, which may cause frostbite or other tissue damage.
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 Cold vs. heat: Which packs the best punch against back pain?
If you’re currently singing the back-pain blues — as most people will at some point in their lives — you may be wondering if cold or heat remedies really work. Both hot and cold packs may help ease aches and stiffness, though they’ve never been clinically proven to cure back pain, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports.
However, hot and cold each may soothe irritated and inflamed muscles and soft tissues of the back, but in different ways:
- Cold helps numb deep pain. It may reduce inflammation by constricting blood vessels and decreasing blood flow to injured back tissues.
- Heat expands blood vessels so that more blood flows to the area, which may ease muscle spasms. It also may help relax muscles.
A matter of timing
There’s a time to chill and a time to bring some heat to your back. Consider this advice from back pain experts:
Cool it down. Try using cold treatments within 48 hours after back pain starts. Apply a cold pack to the sore area every two hours for 20 minutes at a time. You can use a bag of ice wrapped in a towel. Just be sure not to put it directly against your skin (see sidebar).
Warm it up. After two to three days of cold treatment, heat applied to your back for brief periods may help relax your tense muscles. You can try a warm towel or shower — any moist heat may be helpful. An electric heating pad also may help. But, don’t sleep on it. Doing so may cause burns.
Serious back pain
Most back pain goes away on its own within a few days — with or without treatment. But, you should seek immediate medical care if your back pain:
- Causes you to faint or feel lightheaded
- Triggers severe or intense pain, weakness, numbness or tingling in one or both legs
- Brings on new bowel or bladder problems
- Is associated with fever or abdominal pain or throbbing
- Follows a fall, blow to your back or other injury
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Stress control
Learn more about stress and how to get it under control at myuhc.com. Click “Conditions AtoZ” and select “Stress” from the drop-down menu.
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