Is it better to apply heat or cold to knee pain?

Whether hot or cold compress is better for knee pain depends on the cause of the knee pain.

If the knee is hit or squeezed by external force, causing local pain, cold compress is usually applied within 72 hours. Cold compress can shrink capillaries, which is conducive to the reduction of swelling and relieves local pain symptoms. After another 72 hours, hot compress should be applied to promote local blood circulation, which is also beneficial for improving swelling and reducing pain.

However, after suffering from some inflammatory diseases such as synovitis and osteoarthritis, it will cause pain symptoms in the knee joint and knee area, and usually hot compress is needed to improve the symptoms. During the hot compress process, the blood vessels can expand and become congested, increasing the body's metabolism, promoting the dissipation of local inflammation, and also speeding up the absorption of blood stasis.

If the local pain in the knee is severe and symptoms of inflammation and infection have appeared, it is necessary to use some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesics for treatment under the guidance of a doctor. This will fundamentally alleviate the symptoms of knee pain. The more commonly used drugs are aspirin and acetaminophen. During the medication process, you need to pay attention to rest more and try not to do strenuous exercise to avoid affecting normal recovery.