Precautions
Cold pack
- Never apply the ice directly on the skin.
- Never treat by ice for more than 30 minutes.
- Remove the cold pack immediately if the skin appears bright pink or red.
- Don’t use a cold pack on the left shoulder if you have a heart condition.
- Don’t use a cold pack on the front of the neck.
- For elderly patients, you can use the intermittent icing technique (e.g., 10 minutes on 10 minutes off).
Hot pack:
- Never apply the heat directly on the skin.
- Do not use a hot pack after activity or after an acute injury.
- Never use over an area has a swelling or inflammation.
- Never leave heating towels or hot packs on any area for extended periods or while sleeping.
- Don’t use hot packs over a skinny area like the front of the neck or back of the knees
- Take care when applying heat over a bony prominence area.
Other precautions for hot and cold packs
Don’t apply :
- Over poor condition areas of the skin.
- Avoid applying cold or hot packs over areas of low sensation to the heat or cold.
- Over areas of the body with known poor circulation.
- If you have diabetes.
- If there is an infection.
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