Aches, pains, and inflammation can often be helped by alternating hot and cold therapies. A few are fairly easy to do at home. Remember to alternate at 20-minute intervals...beyond that the body starts trying to self-regulate and you essentially negate your efforts.
The Rice Sock
A rice sock is easy to make--simply fill a sock or stocking with rice and tie a knot in the end. Make two and you can keep one in the freezer and use the other in the microwave (1-2min depending on your microwave). Nuked rice socks provide a moist heat and drape nicely around the neck and shoulders.
River Rocks
Most hot stone massages utilize smooth basalt rocks. Personally, I find they are too hot on the surface initially, and then they cool of quicker than anticipated. I like using river rocks because they seem to disperse their cold/heat evenly and consistently.
So what do you do after you locate some river rocks to use for hot and cold therapies? First, give them a good scrubbing with soap, water, and a scrub brush and then allow them to dry thoroughly. You can keep a couple of clean stones in the freezer to use for cryotherapy, and you can warm up a couple of clean stones in a crockpot of water or on the stovetop. Always wrap your stone in a thin towel before applying to your skin, just like you would for an ice pack or a heating pad. Place on the desired area, or lay on top of it so your body can relax over it.
Places I like to place hot or cold stones? For a full-body treatment I like to have stones at the neck (especially the scalenes), shoulders, pecs, hands, (sometimes elbows depending on client), sacrum, lumbar region, rhomboids, (sometimes teres), inguinals, greater trochanter, both sides of the knees, foot arches, and slim pebbles between each toe. ...Now I'm tempted to load up my crockpot with stones!
When you're done with your stones, be sure to give them another good scrubbing to keep them clean.
What are your favorite ways to apply heat or cold to your aches and pains?
-JS
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