Hot Cold Therapy

Health Humor – Medical Cartoons

I pulled/tore/hurt a tendon in my dominant hand climbing last weekend (the same exact tendon my husband did last year).  Since he was back climbing pretty quickly, I am repeating his treatment. The traditional hot/cold treatment goes something like this: 5 minutes per each, starting with submerging your hand in hot water, then after 5 minutes, plunge it into cold (frickin’ icy and painful) water for 5 minutes. Then swap back and forth 5 minutes hot/5 minutes cold, for 25 minutes, ending back on warm. Then gently massage it with healing oils, tape the finger when climbing, and take it easy other than that. But part of my husband’s treatment also includes drinking a beer to reduce the inflammation. So we modified the treatment plan a little. It’s working wonders. After 4 days, I can already type and draw. Looking forward to climbing again soon.