Use ice, they say.
Oh no, use heat, they say.
Oh f this, you say.
If you have Fibromyalgia, you’ve turned to everything to bring yourself some pain relief.
Ice packs. Numbing creams.
Your mom’s old heating pad.
Boiling hot showers until you’re dizzy and seemingly suffocating.
But darn it, your back/legs/arms/shoulders/I could go on forever really hurts, and you need pain relief pronto.
Yet sometimes your sensitive skin (thanks allodynia) makes finding – or applying – effective relief challenging.
Fibromyalgia is very good at making you feel very sensitive to almost anything.
So is ice or heat better for Fibromyalgia pain?
These two tools you almost always have on hand for pain relief, but is one better than the other when you’ve got Fibro?
And what about all this hoopla about – gasp – cold showers and ice baths?
Keep reading to learn whether ice or heat is better for Fibromyalgia. This way, depending on your pain levels, you’ll know which to reach for.
And if you hate ice or the cold because it’s painful, I promise you won’t feel like such a wuss after reading this.
Does ice help Fibromyalgia?
Ice helps numb inflamed and swollen areas of the body in people with Fibromyalgia, the same as everyone else. However, ice may not feel so great for those with Fibro, as many respond to cold differently than non-Fibro folk.
But if you can handle an ice pack for the back or Biofreeze for your hips, it’s wise to keep it in your toolkit.
Now some people go the extreme route and take ice baths. As someone who prefers scalding hot showers (which I’m learning may not be the best, but that’s for another blog post), I find this idea nightmarish, but to each their own.
Because why stop at finding what works for you when you’ve got Fibro, right? Never stop searching for solutions!
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Do ice baths help Fibromyalgia?
Some research suggests ice baths can improve Fibromyalgia symptoms like joint pain and improve your mood. Hard to imagine for some of us, right?
First off, an ice bath is exactly what it sounds like. It’s immersing yourself in ice-cold water for up to 15 minutes. Ice baths can soothe joint pain and sore muscles by constricting blood flow to an area, numbing it, and cutting down swelling.
Your pain receptors also become numb, so you feel less pain.
Another perk to ice baths (and cold showers, as you’ll see below) is that they can make you more alert and happy – two things you may be seriously missing (or in short supply of) when living with Fibro.
In addition, cold therapy has been shown to increase noradrenaline and dopamine levels by 530% and 250%, respectively. Both neurotransmitters play a role in focus, motivation, and pleasure.
I know an ice bath sounds shocking. I honestly have zero desire to do an ice bath at this time.
However, the more I research the benefits of cold water for chronic illness, the more I find myself dialing down the heat levels at the end of my showers.
It’s a start.
It’s an effort.
And a precursor to an ice bath is a cold shower…
Do cold showers help people with Fibromyalgia?
If you have Fibromyalgia, you may not like the feeling of a cold shower. However, they help make you feel more awake.
Cold showers help kick you in the metaphorical hiney by increasing your body circulation and oxygen intake (holy shit, why am I doing this? Okay, I am now doing this), and no doubt your heart rate revs up too.
Cold showers also don’t overexert you like hot showers can for some with Fibromyalgia.
A common symptom of Fibro is allodynia – when you feel pain from unpainful things – and the pressure from the water coupled with dizziness from hot heat can make their symptoms feel worse.
Ever get out of a hot shower and feel like you can’t breathe or that you’ve run a marathon? I have, and from experience cold showers (at the end) don’t do that.
Does heat help Fibromyalgia?
Heat helps reduce Fibromyalgia pain and stiffness. Typical heat therapy works by dilating blood vessels to make them smaller, which increases blood flow and relaxes the muscles.
Heating packs, topical creams, and warm showers provide pain relief.
However, don’t be afraid to bathe if the shower water is too much for your skin.
And don’t forget to add muscle-relaxing Epsom salt!
Does Deep Heat cream help with Fibromyalgia?
Deep Heat is a brand of pain relief cream used for muscle relaxation, strains, and pain. You massage the cream into your skin, and it increases blood flow to that area.
Natural ingredients in Deep Heat, like capsaicin (a compound that provides the hotness in hot peppers) and arnica stimulate circulation. At the same time, mint-based menthol adds another layer of cool-feeling relief.
I haven’t used Deep Heat cream yet, only Icy Hot (which I find to be too powerful sometimes) but I see some Fibro mommies swear by it in the Fibro groups I’m in.
Does deep heat therapy help with Fibromyalgia?
Separate from Deep Heat cream, deep heat therapy involves sending heat to your muscles via ultrasounds and whirlpool baths.
A deep heat ultrasound works by producing sound waves to an affected area, enough to generate a little heat to increase the blood flow to your connective, muscle, and nervous tissues.
This type of ultrasound has also been found to promote collagen production – a protein in your body that can reduce inflammation.
On the other hand, whirlpool baths circulate water around the body to increase blood flow. Hot tubs and jacuzzis are also soothing and may even bring you better sleep. So if you have one of these bad boys on your backyard deck, enjoy!
Now let’s answer the big question: is heat or ice better for Fibromyalgia pain?
Is ice or heat better for Fibromyalgia?
Whether ice or heat is better for Fibromyalgia depends on if you want to numb the affected area or soothe and relax away the pain. Which is best also depends on the individual and their specific symptoms. For example, some people can tolerate cold better than heat, and vice versa.
Ice numbs an affected area by slowing down blood flow near that spot. It’s generally better for acute pain, swelling, and inflammation. It’s so heavily recommended for athletes (think RICE: rest, ice, compression, elevation) for this reason.
So if you need to bring down swelling or stop a spasm, you may want to reach for an ice pack. Ice therapy is often recommended for those with spasms – as those with Fibro tend to get them worse than those without it – however, heat therapy works well too.
Heat increases the oxygen and blood flow available to your muscles, which loosens them up. In addition, sensory receptors in your skin become stimulated with heat, weakening pain signals to your brain.
Overall, heat tends to be the best (read: least painful) way to get long(er)-lasting pain relief for most people with Fibromyalgia.
Because if we’re honest, no pain solution seems to last long enough.
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Your takeaway
So is ice or heat better for Fibromyalgia?
It depends on your symptoms, but generally, heat is best tolerated over ice if you want pain relief and muscle relaxation.
A hot shower, heating pad, and Deep Heat can help.
If you want fast-acting numbness and to feel more alert, use cold therapy. At the least, ending your shower slighter cooler will help you feel more alert.
So are you Team Ice or Team Heat, or do you float between the two? And would you ever consider plunging into an ice bath for pain relief?
Let me know your thoughts below!
