How contrast bathing works

Using Heat and Cold to Treat Joints

Ice, when placed on a joint, either wrapped in a tea towel or using a pack of frozen peas, reduces swelling and inflammation, which in turn helps reduce joint pain.

Heat is effective at relaxing the muscles around the joint relieving stiffness and allowing better mobility.

A combination of heat treatments and cold treatments for joints can give the best results for arthritis sufferers. This is known as contrast bathing and reduces inflammation and stiffness surrounding the joint.

How to get the best results from contrast bathing

Osteopath and physiotherapist Tim Allardyce recommends the following hot and cold treatment: “Five minutes of frozen peas followed by a hot water bottle for twenty minutes on the joint, two to three times a day, will reduce the pain.”

Tim Allardyce, D.O., M.C.S.P., S.R.P. T
Osteopath and physiotherapist at the Osteopathy and Physiotherapy Clinic in Croydon

10066 December 2011

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