i think i pulled or tore a muscle just under my rib cage. do i use hot or cold and why???

Question

just under my rib cage on my right side. goes around to my back. am a golfer. have tournament coming up and am trying to heal as quick as possible. have been told to use hot. have been told to use cold. not sure which would be better.

Answer 1

Whatever you do, do not use hot. Hot is used to loosen a muscle, you need to reduce the swelling. To do that you need cold, 20 minutes on 20 minutes off for the next two days. After that you can use both cold and hot. If you use hot now you will make the pull last longer.

Answer 2

Pulled Muscle In Ribs

Answer 3

Pulled Rib Muscle

Answer 4

If you are talking about immediately after the injury, then always ice first. Always, always. Heat makes inflammation worse. After the first 24 hours it doesn't matter as much, because the injury is already as inflamed as it will ever be (unless you develop infection, or injure it more), so you apply heat or ice, whichever feels the most comfortable. The most therapeutic thing to do is alternate, heat, then ice, the heat, then ice, in 20 minute increments, ending on ice. This promotes circulation, which means blood flow, which means healing. You can also take ibuprofen, (advil, motrin) a pain reliever that is also an anti-inflammatory. Read label for allergy warnings, but most people tolerate it well. Take it with food to avoid stomach upset. Therapeutic dose for short term use, such as recup from an injury, is 800 mg (four tabs over the counter) every 6 hours to reduce pain and swelling...a week or two is all I would do at this level. For inflammation relief, you don't necessarily go by your pain to decide when or if to take it...you re-dose to keep it in your system.

Answer 5

I'm no expert, but I would really see a doctor if I were you. Just to be on the safe side. You never know, it might be something more serious. Besides they can advise you on what treatment would work best. I broke the bottom two ribs on my left side and split my kidney in half. Painful experience, but I still have my kidney. I did find that holding a pillow pressed against the area when you move helps stabilize the injury and reduce the discomfort. This should also help with your injury, although its not a solution.
I really hope you're okay, and I wish you the best of luck!!

Answer 6

Use ice for the first 48 hr's then heat Thar after. Ice is to help numb the ache and reduce the swelling then heat will increase the blood flow to the area which speeds the healing. avoid over exertion and take it easy on the areas use you should be able to use it as normal in a couple of weeks.

Answer 7

Ever heard the term "warming up?" Warm is good for the muscles, you would not start exercising without warming up first. Thus, you need to use warm compresses. That will relax your muscle and make it more flexible, and make you more comfortable. If you use cold compresses, it will make the muscle hard and stiff and not pliable. Use warm compresses for this one.
The times when you need to use cold compresses are when you see SWELLING. When you see swelling after a twisted ankle, etc, remember the RICE method. Rest Ice Compression Elevate. Good luck, I'm sure you'll get better.

Answer 8

With your goal, ice 20-30 minutes at least 3 times a day with 2 hours between treatments.

Answer 9

go to a chiropractor. it is probably a pulled rib(sublexation) EASY fix 2 or 3 days max. always apply cold first to reduce the possibility of inflammation,and to alternate between hot and cold increases circulation while reducing inflammation

Answer 10

well i dont know if its the same but im a runner and kind of have bad knees and am always doing ab workouts that make my ribs and abs hurt for about a week..and i cant do well in a race if im hurting so my coach always tells me to ice my knees and abs/ribs..it works..i do it for around 15-20 minutes maybe twice a day.