Basic Contrast Bath for Sprains and Other Injuries

An effective method of speeding healing to an injured or sore area is a Contrast Bath. It's easiest to implement for hand and foot injuries, but for those with an imagination, it can be used most anywhere.

The concept behind the Contrast Bath is simple: By alternating icing and heating, you create a pumping action that first expels fluids from the damaged area, then flushes the injured area with oxygen, nutrients, and the natural chemicals the body uses to heal itself. A good, three 'pumps' usually does the trick.

Contrast baths have also been shown to work in cases of swelling, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, poor circulation, and reduced range-of-motion. For athletes, it’s one of the quickest ways to get back into the action after an injury.

Contrast Bath Setup

• Set aside 20 minutes, preferably at the beginning and end of the day.
• Have a clock or timer at the ready. 
• For a hand or foot injury, you will need two containers that will fit your whole hand or foot.
• Fill one of the containers with cold water and ice cubes: Not too much ice or it will hurt; not too little ice or it won’t be cold enough. Every ‘body’ responds differently to temperature, so choose the coldest temperature you can tolerate for up to 1 minute. Please pay attention to the timing; it matters.
• Fill the other container with water as hot as you can stand it without burning you.

​Contrast Bath Process

1. COLD: submerse the injured hand or foot into the ice water bath for up to 1 minute
2. HOT: transfer the injured hand or foot to the hot water for 4-5 minutes
3. REPEAT steps 1 & 2
4. REPEAT steps 1 & 2, again
5. If reducing pain is more important than healing, you may end by adding an extra COLD step. Icing reduces pain and swelling, but does NOT promote full healing, long term. So, only end with icing if pain or swelling is still a significant issue after the contrast bath steps 1-4 are complete.

Contraindications: Wait or do not use a contrast bath if… 

• Your injury is acute and less than 72 hours old
• Your injury is moderate and less than 48 hours old 
• There is broken skin at the site of the injury
• You are at risk for limb vasospasm or ischemia

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Originally published March, 2004. Latest update date is at top.