Water can be used hot in the form of hydrocollator packs, compresses, baths or jets to relieve pain, promote visceral function and enhance immune response. Alternating temperatures may be used to promote detoxification. Water can also be combined with herbal or mineral additives in baths, steams, wraps, poultices or packs to sedate, stimulate or detoxify. Cryotherapy is a term that describes the therapeutic application of ice, cold towels, ice massage and compresses to reduce the temperature of tissues directly on or below the surface of the skin. Surface cooling constricts blood vessels, numbs painful areas, and helps relax muscle spasms.
Cold temperatures reduce nerve transmission of painful symptoms and provide temporary relief.
Range of motion is thereby preserved. Ice, when applied to the body in a cube form, causes an immediate constriction of the blood vessels. The ice feels cold and you are recommended to focus on breathing deeply. After twenty seconds or so, the feeling of cold begins to subside. The skin turns red as the iced part of the body passes into numbness.