Along my experience as Myotherapist here at Melbourne Massage and Treatment in Coburg, I often get asked if after an injury ice pack is a good idea. In another blog, we did talk about the heat pack and when and how to use heat on the body post-injury. In this other blog, we are going to look into the use of Ice and ice packs for injury and body recovery.
What is an ice pack?
An Ice pack, as the name says, is a cold (icy) bag.
As better explained in this study, an ice pack is something that can be applied to an acute injury to prevent swelling and reduce pain, but it can’t be used for too long.
As with a heat pack, an ice pack can burn the skin, and that’s one reason why its usage has to be short (10 to 15mins at a time).
In contrast to a heat pack, extended exposure to icy temperatures reduces blood flow around the injured tissue and can also damage nerves.
Ice Pack usage recommendation:
There are a few things to look into before thinking that applying ice to your injury site would help:
- You have a new injury or aggravation of an existing condition, and the pain is above 7 out of 10.
- Where you want to prevent swelling to keep you mobile later.
- How deep is the injury? Is ice actually going to work?
There are different types of Ice packs:
- Home-made one: ice from the freezer wrapped in a towel.
- Gel pack
- Ice Bag (as per the photo)
- Instant one – most of the time found in the first aid kit. Snap it, and a chemical reaction occurs in the bag and freezes the bag.
Those last ones are efficient, as you can store them anywhere safely and use them as you need them.
The cold lasts for about 20 minutes. Don’t use them if they are broken.
On the other hand, if you’re running out of ideas for what to use as a Cold pack, you can even use a bag of frozen food. It would still do the work. We have the ice bath and the cold show related to this topic.
I did experience cold showers myself, most of the time not of my choice, but because of a limited supply of hot water, and I have to say that even on this topic, there are a series of debates on how that works and if it’s beneficial.
So far, a cold shower, compared to a hot shower, is better for dry skin.
This is because the heat of the water combined with soap can wash away the good oils of the skin.
Then the benefit of an Ice bath can be more of a placebo effect.
What we know so far, on the other hand, is that ice baths for men and women should be regulated to different icy temperatures, as women have a different perception of cold temperature biologically, and don’t need cold temperature as much as a man can experience. This is due to the layer of fat we have under the skin.
Ice pack after a Massage?
As mentioned above, ice packs are suggested after an acute injury.
So, after a Remedial Massage or a Myotherapy session, I would definitely avoid the use of an ice pack on any sore site, as this would slow down, at least in the most superficial area, the inflammatory response we stimulate to initiate a healing process of the targeted tissue.
Giovanni La Rocca
Giovanni moved to Melbourne, Australia, from Italy in 2008 and became a citizen in 2017. He started studying massage therapy in 2016, then completed a Bachelor of Health Science in Clinical Myotherapy in August 2024. During those years, he also specialised in Thai Massage and Manual Lymphatic Drainage for presentations like Lipoedema and Lymphoedema and recovery from Cosmetic Surgery. Nowadays, he runs his clinic in Coburg, Melbourne, where he integrates movement therapy into his practice to enhance overall well-being. He also values meditation, having completed several Vipassana courses. Committed to continuous learning, he aims to share his expertise in integrated therapies to help others achieve balance and resilience.