Ice Massage for Back Pain Relief

In a world of sophisticated medical care, a simple ice massage can still be one of the more effective, proven methods to treat a sore lower back or neck. 

It is effective when used either alone or in combination with other treatments.

Ice massage therapy is quick, free, easy to do, and it can provide significant relief, both for a chronic back condition or a simple strained muscle.

When to Ice Your Back

Ice massage therapy is most effective if it is applied as soon as possible after the injury occurs, usually within 24 to 48 hours.

The cold makes the veins in the tissues contract, reducing circulation.

Once the cold is removed, the veins overcompensate and dilate and blood rushes into the area. This infusion of blood in the area brings with it the necessary nutrients to help the injured back muscles, ligaments and tendons to heal.

How to Use Ice Massage Therapy for Back Pain

To do ice massage therapy, a regular ice cube may be used, but it’s better to use a larger piece of ice. One easy way to do this is to freeze water in a paper or Styrofoam cup, then peel the top inch or two of the cup to expose the ice surface.

Watch Video: How to Make 5 Quick and Easy Ice Packs

To have someone else give you the massage, lie on your stomach and placing a pillow or towel under your hips to keep stress off the low back. You can give yourself an ice massage by lying on your side and reaching around to apply ice to your back.

The 5 steps to massage the lower back with ice are: 

1. Apply the ice gently to the lower back and massage in a circular motion
2. Focus the ice massage therapy on the six-inch area of the back where the pain is felt
3. Avoid applying the ice massage directly on the bony portion of the spine (the bones that protrude along the spinal column)
4. Limit the ice massage therapy to about 5 minutes at a time (to avoid an ice burn)
5. Repeat the ice massage two to five times a day.

The general guideline is to never apply ice directly to your skin to avoid burning the skin; however, with this type of ice massage the skin doesn’t get injured because ice doesn’t stay in one place for long.

The key to ice massage therapy is to achieve numbness in the area of injury without burning the skin.

Once this ‘numbness’ has been achieved, gentle, minimal stress movements can be made. When the numbness has worn off, the ice massage can be applied again for another cycle.

Ice massage and ice application is generally most helpful during the first 48 hours following an injury that strains the back muscles. After this initial period, heat therapy is probably more beneficial to the healing process. For some people, alternating heat therapy with cold application/icing provides the most pain relief.

How Ice Massage Relieves Pain

Ice massages can help provide relief for back pain due to:

• Ice application slows the inflammation and swelling that occurs after injury. Most back pain is accompanied by some type of inflammation, and addressing the inflammation helps reduce the pain
• Ice numbs sore tissues (providing pain relief similar to a local anesthetic)
• Ice application slows the nerve impulses in the area, which interrupts the pain-spasm reaction between the nerves
• Icing decreases tissue damage
• The massage adds the beneficial effects of gentle manipulation of soft tissues

While any form ice pack should be helpful, combining massage with ice application is a nice alternative for pain relief.

Watch How to Use Ice Therapy for Back Pain Relief Video

Ice Massage Precautions

Avoid getting an ice burn on your skin by following these precautions:

• When applying ice directly to the skin on the back, be sure to keep the ice moving in a slow, circular motion to avoid staying in one place too long.
• Limit the ice massage to no more than five minutes at a time.
• Be sure not to fall asleep with the ice resting on the skin.

You do not have to include massage with the ice to benefit – simple application or an ice pack or cold pack to the painful area is also an effective pain reliever.