Superficial Heat and Ice Flashcards
What are the four laws of Thermodynamics?
- The internal energy of an isolated system is constant
- Heat cannot simultaneously flow from colder to hotter areas
- As the temperature of a system approaches absolute zero, all processes cease and the entropy of the system approaches a minimum value.
What are the four ways heat is lost in the body?
convection, conduction, evaporation, radiation
What are the therapeutic effects of superficial heat and thermal agents?
- Increased local/global blood flow
- Reduces pain via gate control stimulation of heat receptors
- Decreased excitability of muscle spindle = improved elasticity
- Improved oxygen efficiency at tissue level = improved healing
- Decreases visco-elastic properties of CT = improved extensibility, ^ temperature in synovial fluid of joints
Describe the 3 changes in blood flow during cryotherapy
Noradrenergic vasoconstrictor system
- SNS regulated
- Increase BP and prevent heat loss
Cold Induced Vasodilation
- occurs when tissue temps drop < 15 C
Therapeutic effect
- reduction in blood flow to reduce local or global swelling post-injury
What are the therapeutic effects of cryotherapy?
- Reduction in blood flow = reduction in local/global swelling and deem
- Decreased nerve excitability/conduction velocity = pain & spasticity management
- Lower Metabolic activity = lower inflammation & secondary tissue damage
- Lower temperature of muscle spindle = higher threshold of cramp/spasm
- inhibition of C and A-beta sensory fibers
Describe how cryotherapy can help decrease the metabolic activity
1) Van’t Hoff’s rule
- decreased in temp > decreased rate of reactions
2) Decreased O2 requirement to limit free radicals
3) Decreased rate of inflammatory mediators
Describe the neuromuscular effects of superficial heat.
- activation of heat-sensitive calcium channels
- relaxation of muscles and decreased rate of firing of muscle afferents > increased elasticity
- leveraging “Gate Theory” to inhibit pain receptors
