One of the most efficient forms of cold application is ice cup massage. For this you need to keep Styrofoam cups filled with water frozen in the freezer. The cup is held by the bottom using the Styrofoam to insulate the cold from the fingers. Using slow circular strokes, a five square centimeter area can be cooled in ten minutes. It is a safe, effective, and inexpensive way to relieve pain and to limit tissue damage.
Cold therapy using ice has many applications.
Ice massage is used for muscle pain to break the self-perpetuating cycle of muscle spasm. It is effective for a severe bruise or hematoma that results from direct trauma such as a bite or kick, trauma from concussion such as splints or bucked shins, an intramuscular injection reaction, and acute tendinitis. Ice massage is done for 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the depth of tissue involved. Deep muscle takes longer to cool than tendons or ligaments beneath the skin. Ice applied directly over a bony area can be painful.