Cramp remedies: cold therapy vs. heat therapy

[chthonic.livejournal.com]

Just finished my period, so now I can resume thinking clearly. :-)

I only get crampy on the first day. When it used to get really bad (back in my teens and early twenties), the best remedy was to lie down with my trusty ice bag on my belly. I don't even remember why I thought to use ice; perhaps my logic figured that my uterus was swollen and all the blood vessels needed to be constricted. Whatever the reason, it works for me, providing some quick relief until the aspirin/Midol/Pamprin starts working.

Years later, I was talking to a woman at my job, who was feeling crampy, and she said she couldn't wait to go home and crawl into bed with her heating pad.
Which surprised me; but she claimed it helped her to relax and also eased her back pain. Her theory was that all the blood vessels were too constricted!

So, I ask you folks: what are your thoughts/experiences with hot or cold therapies for cramps? If you've never tried either, which one sounds more appealing to you?

--chthonic boom

Comments

[jaclyn.livejournal.com]

I go with a heating pad.

Sometimes I will just continuously sit in the bath tab in hot water.
I can't even imagine using an ice pack or cold water.

Heating pads and hot water have always helped me and eased the pain.

[elfbabe.livejournal.com]

I always go with the heating pad. (and a hot bath if it gets really bad) I´ve heard that both work, but that heat makes flow heavier and cold makes it lighter. Personally, I just find the heat more comforting.

[00goddess.livejournal.com]

I like using a heat pad. A hot bath is also nice for my cramps. However, when my cramps are bad, I usually can't walk, so getting to the heat pad or the bath is almost impossible.

In theory, heat should rel;ieve cramping more effectively because it dialates the blood vessels so oxygen can move through the area.

Perhaps the ice provides quick relief,a sort of numbing, but the heat provides long-term relief?

00goddess

[chthonic.livejournal.com]

Yes, I can see the reasoning in that. When I'm in pain, I tend to want relief fast, so quick numbing is what I'd go for. And since my cramps now only last a day, long term relief isn't a major concern anymore. I'm sorry that yours are so debilitating, 00goddess; I can't imagine what that's like.

You bring up another interesting point about *getting* to the bathtub or to the heating pad. The logistics of my apartment are such that all electrical outlets are pretty much in use all the time, so for me to use a heating pad would require *finding* the pad in the first place, finding an extension cord, and performing an intricate unplugging and replugging of various appliances. It's much easier for me to go to the refridgerator and fill up the ice bag.

Be well, everybody.

[marzipan-pig.livejournal.com]

I've only used heat and not ice but I'm not big on ice, even when I know it's recommended I usually just don't like how it feels. That's neat that it works for you; have you tried heat and it just feels icky?

I've used ice for headaches and for sprainy kinda stuff and it has helped me but really I'm never crazy about it.

[chthonic.livejournal.com]

No, I've never tried heat for cramps. Like you, I've used ice for sprains and headaches, and for fever when I'm sick. So, ice is just the first thing I think of using to relieve pain. Also, I never had a heating pad until about 10 years ago, when I got an old relative's pad after she died. Heat is definitely good for muscle aches; but as I mentioned in the previous response, a heating pad requires too much effort to prepare when I'm feeling crampy.

--chthonic

P.S., I really enjoyed your journal entry regarding photographs!

[marzipan-pig.livejournal.com]

thx!

[champignon.livejournal.com]

I've never tried using ice to help cramps. Heat seems to work alright for me.

Instead of a heating pad, I use a fleece bag filled with rice. I heat it in the microwave for a few minutes and it retains a moist heat for up to 45 minutes. It's a lot more comfy than a heating pad, doesn't require you to be near an electrical outlet, smells nice, and you can fall asleep with it without worrying about getting burned or starting a fire... (i'm a tad bit paranoid about fire)

[chthonic.livejournal.com]

What a marvelous suggestion! Did you make the fleece bag yourself? Does it have a zipper closure or a drawstring?

I think I looked at just about every link on your journal this afternoon; great sources of info. And the "innocuous search result" was the best (and scariest) one! Thumbs up on the bangs, too.

Thanks for the idea(s).

Re:

[champignon.livejournal.com]

I did make the bags myself... Actually, they are more like a pillow: sewn shut with the rice inside. There are a bunch of crafty type websites with instructions (http://www.reddawn.net/quilt/hotpads.htm) on how to make them, but I made mine much less fancy. Just two pieces of fleece with no additional cover. They don't look as pretty, but they work and I've been using one of them for about 2.5 years now.

Thanks for the props about my journal, by the way! :)

[sadielouize.livejournal.com]

They both should work to some degree, although heat is probably more effective.

The reason why cold OR heat work is because both would stimulate and overpower the nerve receptors to some degree.

Scratching an itch is a similar phenomenon. Although we think of it as something "different", itches are, in fact, low-level pain signals. Scratching the itch area often overpowers the pain signal enough to bring relief.

That's also the reason why capascin (pepper extract) often brings relief to external pain -- it overpowers and stuns the pain receptors. So that after the aggressive pain from the capascin wears off, there's often complete relief from all pain.

Anything that stimulates the cramping area should bring SOME relief (rubbing, pinching, rocking). Although such relief would be very minor and not enough to overpower the pain sensation. Perhaps that's also why some women find relief in (of all things) having sex during a period.

[yay4pikas.livejournal.com]

I've never tried ice, since being cold when I have cramps always makes them worse. I use a heating pad or hot water bottle on my lower back (which is where I usually feel cramps) or a hot bath if the cramps are bad enough to make me dizzy.

[chthonic.livejournal.com]

Wow, you've been digging around in the Menstrual Hut archives, haven't you? :-) I don't think I've ever gone back and read old posts in any community I was interested in!

Seems like I'm the only person in this thread who uses ice for cramps; that's been a real surprise for me.

That dizzy feeling when you're already crampy is just the worst, isn't it? I've felt dizzy while at work a few times, and it always makes me wonder about how women throughout the centuries have dealt with their periods. What must it have been like for women in the early 1800's? Or the 1300's? Or even way-way back in primitive society? How did they manage to get through it?

Okay, enough rambling. Take care.a

[yay4pikas.livejournal.com]

I was...not feeling well that day. It was cathartic.

I've passed out a couple times from cramps. I suppose it's the blood rushing from my head or something. But it seems like most women don't get incapacitating cramps, and it's possible that ancient diets were higher in the right sorts of nutrients. I suspect women drank lots of willow bark tea and just dealt with it, or, in some societies, holed up and did nothing for a week (actually, I wonder if menstrual seclusion had that role -- sure, it separated 'unclean' women from the rest of society, but they also didn't have to run around working).

[gsyh.livejournal.com]

Well, from what I hear from my relatives, menstrual cramps happen because all the blood is struck in your stomach and is not getting out as smooth as it should have. Heat is good, because it relax your muscles so the blood can flow easier.