Cold
Therapy: A cold bath or use if ice in order
to decrease painful and reduce
muscle spasms. The cold slows nerve impulses to
the muscle and decreases blood circulation, which
helps reduce inflammation and swelling.
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| Cryotherapy: The
use of low temperatures in medical therapy for removal
of heat from a body part in order to decrease cellular
metabolism, increase cellular survival, decrease
inflammation and decrease pain and spasm through
vasoconstriction of the blood vessels. |
Ice Pack: A
sac, bag, or pliable container filled with crushed
ice and applied to sore or swollen parts of the body
to reduce pain and inflammation.
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Vasoconstriction: Narrowing of the blood vessels resulting
from contracting of the muscular wall of the vessels.
The opposite of vasodilation.
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Vasodilation: Widening
of blood vessels resulting from relaxation of the muscular
wall of the vessels. What widens is actually the diameter
of the interior (the lumen) of the vessel. The opposite
of vasoconstriction.
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