Title: Basic Contrast Bath
From: www.massage-energetics.com
By: Paula M. Moerland, LMT
All Rights Reserved. 2009.
Basic Contrast Bath
Most of us are familiar with the general idea of icing an injury, like an ankle or wrist sprain. In many if not most cases that works just fine, but there is a much more effective method of speeding healing to an injury. This method is most often referred to as a Contrast Bath. It works best for hand and foot injuries, but for those with an imagination can be used most anywhere.
The concept behind the Contrast Bath is simply this: you are creating a pumping action that will first expel damaged tissue then flush the injured area with oxygen, nutrients and the natural chemicals the body uses to heal itself. This also has been shown to work in cases of swelling, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, poor circulation and reduced range-of-motion. For athletes, it’s one of the quickest ways to get back into the action.
Here’s the recipe:
Set aside 20 minutes, preferably at the beginning and at the end of the day.
Have a clock or timer at the ready.
For a hand injury, you will need two bowls that will fit your whole hand.
For a foot injury, you will need two buckets or something equivalent that will fit your whole foot.
Fill one of the containers with cold water and ice cubes: Not too much ice or it will hurt; not too little ice or it won’t be cold enough. Every ‘body’ responds differently to temperatures, so use your instincts.
Fill the other container with water as hot as you can stand it without burning you.
Contraindications: Do not use a contrast bath if…