Search
shop

Injury treatment…ice or heat?

Often people will use medication, ice or heat, to make themselves feel better after an injury - but how do they effect the healing?
Chief Correspondent
Last updated -

Liam Goode, Senior Physiotherapist at Physo4Life (www.physio4life.co.uk) takes a look at the use of ice or heat to help treat injuries.


Most injuries (sprained joints, torn muscles), involve some level of damage to tissue and that causes you to feel pain. Often people will use medication, ice or heat, to make themselves feel better – but how do they effect the healing of an injury?

The choice is between pain and optimising your healing times. Make no mistake the human body is a slow healer at the best of times but to prevent things dragging on, ice (my preference to heat), will increase blood flow to the injury and make the blood vessels more permeable so the chemicals necessary for healing can pass through more freely. This chemical ‘exchange’ is called the inflammatory response and it is painful. That’s normal.

The ice or heat will promote the efficiency of the exchange and very possibly (but not all the time), the pain levels. Anti inflammatories (Ibuprofen etc) can help ease your pain, but they will have a slowing effect on your healing. This is because they will slow the ‘exchange’ down and ultimately lead to poor quality of healing. However, the pain will feel better.

When I get asked what people should use, my answer always leans towards ice. However, if your pain levels are too high it is perfectly reasonable to use anti inflammatories to get you through the worst of it – you can always use the ice later. Ultimately, your pain tolerance will dictate everything.

John Levison
Written by
John Levison
TRI247's Chief Correspondent, John has been involved in triathlon for well over 30 years, 15 of those writing on these pages, whilst he can also be found commentating for events across the UK.
Discover more
Laura Siddall Challenge Roth 2025 finish line
PremiumLaura Siddall: 10 things I’ve learned from my professional triathlon career
Ruth Astle finishing IRONMAN Vitoria 2024
PremiumHow to cope with a DNF: Elite athletes share their stories
PremiumIs your evening workout routine wrecking your recovery? Expert physiologist on how to improve recovery and what NOT to do
Caroline Pohle Lena Meissner ironman 703 jonkoping sprint 2025
PremiumTriathlon’s mid-season report card: Tim Don on who’s raising the bar this triathlon race season
03/07/2025 - Tour de France 2025 - Grand départ Jour 2 - Lille - Présentation des équipes -Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma-Lease a Bike)
PremiumWhat triathletes can learn from the Tour de France pro peloton
latest News
Sam Long wins IRONMAN 703 Gulf Coast 2023 [Photo credit: Julio Aguilar / Getty Images for IRONMAN]
Sam Long opens up on US triathlon stars struggling in Europe after big move brought ‘complete mental breakdown’
lionel sanders wins oceanside 2024 [Photo credit: Donald Miralle / IRONMAN]
Lionel Sanders pinpoints the BIGGEST difference from Mark Allen era of triathlon
Sam Laidlow celebrates Challenge Roth win 2025
Triathlon superstar Sam Laidlow went from near DNS at Challenge Roth to epic glory
Alex Yee supertri Neom 2024 win Photo credit: Darren Wheeler | supertri
Supertri Toronto 2025: How to watch live as Alex Yee makes his triathlon return
Dan Lorang Head of Performance BORA - hansgrohe
Touching and heartfelt tribute from Anne Haug’s coach after she announces triathlon retirement
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

TRI247-LOGO_Primary-Black_RGB-1

CHOOSE YOUR MEMBERSHIP TO BECOME PART OF SOMETHING EPIC

We’re on a mission to elevate the world of endurance sport, becoming your go-to resource for expert training tips and inspiration, unbiased reporting and creating a platform for grassroots voices. But we can’t do it without you on board! Choose a TRI247+ membership option below and become part of something epic.

£7.95/month

Unlimited access. No ads. A whole library of tips, advice and inspiration at your finger tips, and the chance to shape the future of triathlon journalism.

100+ new articles/month

You’ll also gain access to our other premium websites:

Have an account? Sign in

£47.95/year
£95.40/year

50% Discount

100+ new articles/month

Unlimited access. No ads. A whole library of tips, advice and inspiration at your finger tips, and the chance to shape the future of triathlon journalism.

You’ll also gain access to our other premium websites:

Have an account? Sign in

Share to...