Hot Topic: Contrast Therapy

Contrast Therapy is something I learned about very recently. As a dancer, I've had plenty of injuries and experiences with delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS. Usually we are told to use cold when treating an injury that is inflamed. Cold causes vasoconstriction which will reduce the inflammation in the injured area and reduce pain. Heat, on the other hand, is used to relax aching muscles.

Contrast Therapy is when you use a combination of both heat and cold. There are a few ways to do this-you can use cold and hot packs to put on just one area of the body, or you could use immersion. Immersion could be just sticking one body part in water, such as a foot or wrist, or you could do total body immersion. This can easily be done in the shower. You want to go as cold as you can handle and as hot as you can handle to get the best results.

Contrast therapy can be used after workouts to help control DOMS. Contrast therapy will produce a cycling of vasoconstriction and vasodilation which results in a "pumping effect" of the blood. When applying heat, the blood rushes to the area, and when applying cold, the blood rushes away. Contrasting hot and cold helps to maximize the benefits of both and reduce the limitations of each. Variations in hot and cold also may confuse nerve pathways that lead to the sensation of pain. This will lead to a temporary reduction in pain. In terms of how long to do the hot or cold, different people will tell you different things. The most consistent answer I have heard is 30 seconds of hot followed by 30 seconds of cold, switching between the two for about 3-5 minutes.

There is plenty of evidence out there that suggests this kind of therapy is best for athletes, however I would recommend that anyone who works out and is prone to sore muscles give it a try. I'm definitely going to try it out after my next workout. What do you guys think? Has anyone ever done contrast therapy before? Let us know!! Just a word of caution--NEVER put heat on an inflamed injury or swollen body part. This can make the swelling worse and will delay the healing process. Happy training :)