Ankle sprains can be very debilitating, particularly for athletes, because the ankles are used for so many physical activities. A person with an ankle sprain may find relief from sprain symptoms through thermal (heat) therapy, but only if it is applied with the right strategy.
Sprain Level
Research led by Chris Thompson and published in the August 2003 "Journal of Family Practice" indicates that heat therapy is less effective for treatment of sprains than cold when the sprain is very severe. The reason is because severe sprains are associated with greater amounts of swelling and inflammation, which heat only will worsen. Use heat therapy only with mild sprains.
Timing
Because heat relaxes the blood vessels and encourages swelling, wait to use heat therapy on an until the sprain has had a chance to heal enough for swelling to go down. Usually this will mean that it has been at least three days after your injury.
Purpose
Heat will relax the muscles and tendons of the ankle. This can be very helpful when you find that the ankle is very stiff but is not very painful--the purpose of heat therapy with a sprain should be to increase mobility rather than to relieve pain. Apply heat therapy before doing rehabilitation exercises and stretches, or in the morning when your ankle is "cold" and hasn't been used.
Method
The easiest method of heat therapy for ankle sprains is to use a heating pack or hot pad wrapped around the ankle. These are convenient because they can be used virtually anywhere. However, you may find that warming the adjacent muscles and tissues in conjunction with the tissues of the area of sprain feels better. In this case, use a warm bath or foot soak. A dip in a hot tub is acceptable, but limit the time in the tub and don't use extreme heat.
If you intend to use any kind of hydrotherapy, try alternating heat with cold. This makes the blood vessels go through alternating periods of restriction and dilation, so it delivers blood flow to the injured area but in a controlled way. This is important because adequate blood flow promotes healing, but too much dilation of blood vessels makes tissue swell. Alternate heat for four minutes and cold for one for no more than 30 minutes.
Temperature
Avoid temperatures that are extremely hot when you use thermal therapy. If you are using alternating hot and cold, also avoid temperatures that are extremely cold. Extremes in temperature can damage the skin because it takes less time to heat or cool external tissue than it does the internal tissue that has been injured.
Tags: heat therapy, blood vessels, ankle sprain, blood flow, find that