Hot or Cold for Pain? When to Use Ice, Heat or a Cooling Balm

Reach for an ice pack or a hot water bottle? It's one of the most common questions people have about aches and pains, and the honest answer is: it depends on the kind of pain and how long you've had it. Here's a simple guide.

When cold helps most

Cold works best for new pain, usually in the first 48 hours after a strain, knock or twist. It narrows blood vessels, which helps limit swelling, and it dulls the area so it hurts less.

• A freshly twisted ankle or wrist
• A knee that is puffy after sport
• A bump or bruise

How to use it: wrap ice or a cold pack in a thin cloth and apply for 10–15 minutes at a time. Never put ice directly on bare skin.

When heat helps most

Heat is better for stiffness and ongoing aches, the kind that builds up over days or weeks. Warmth relaxes tight muscles and increases blood flow to the area.

• A stiff neck or shoulders after long hours at a desk
• Lower back tightness after a long drive
• Morning joint stiffness

How to use it: a warm (not hot) towel, hot water bottle or warm shower for 15–20 minutes. Avoid heat on an area that is freshly swollen.

Where a cooling and warming balm fits

Balms like PainGo don't actually change the temperature of your muscles. Instead, ingredients like menthol and capsicum trigger the skin's own cold and heat sensors. You get a cooling feel first, then a gentle warmth, which can take the edge off everyday aches. Read more in What's Inside PainGo?

A balm is handy when an ice pack or hot water bottle isn't practical: at the office, while travelling, or before bed.

Important: don't combine a balm with a heat pack

Never put a heating pad, hot water bottle or tight bandage over skin where you've just applied a pain relief balm. Trapping heat over these ingredients can irritate or even burn the skin. Use one or the other.

Quick guide

• New injury with swelling: cold
• Stiff, tight, long-lasting ache: heat
• Everyday muscle or joint ache on the go: a cooling and warming balm

See a doctor if pain follows a serious fall or injury, the area is very swollen or you can't use it normally, or the pain doesn't settle within a couple of weeks.