In the world of biohacking, contrast therapy is one of the most popular options. It involves sitting in a sauna or warm shower/bath and then transitioning to a cold bath. Ideally, you go back and forth to improve circulation and accelerate muscle recovery. Many physical therapists and sports medicine specialists use this therapy, but a lot more facilities are becoming available to the general public. 

According to research, contrast therapy can help reduce muscle spasms, pain, fatigue, lactic acid buildup, and swelling following intense exercise. It may also assist with functional mobility of joints and improve range of motion. In this article, we will explore how contrast therapy works and the standout benefits. 

How Does It Work?

Contrast therapy involves alternating between warm and cold temperatures. The science is based on thermotherapy (using heat) and cryotherapy (using cold). The warmth of a sauna causes blood vessels to widen, while the cold of a plunge causes them to narrow. By going back and forth between the two extreme temperatures, you create a pumping effect within the body that may reduce inflammation. This process may also relieve pain and improve joint mobility. 

Most people with soft tissue or joint injuries will benefit from contrast therapy. Some physical therapists also encourage contrast therapy to accelerate healing following orthopedic surgery. Other injuries that may benefit from contrast therapy include:

• Plantar fasciitis
• Dislocated elbow
• Ankle and leg fractures
• Torn meniscus
• Achilles tendonitis
• Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries

May Alleviate Pain And Accelerate Healing

A 2022 review of studies suggests that contrast therapy is highly effective at easing arthritis pain and stiffness. Researchers noted that it was more effective than a hot bath alone. The extreme cold works to block pain signals as well. Separate research found that it helps reduce muscle tension, inflammation, and accelerate recovery post-exercise. A 2018 study observed the effects of contrast therapy using infrared spectroscopy and other tools. Researchers found that it promoted healing by increasing oxygen delivery to bodily tissues, while also decreasing tissue swelling. 

Helps Enhance Circulation

The heat component of contrast therapy works to increase blood flow. As mentioned earlier, blood vessels expand in the heat, allowing more blood to enter your muscles and supply them with minerals and oxygen. Oxygen serves as fuel for the muscle repair process, while the nutrients encourage robust, healthy muscle tissue. Your muscles are not the only things receiving more nutrients and oxygen during contrast therapy. It also aids the transfer of immune cells and other restorative components to wounded tissues. Enhanced circulation also works to regulate body temperature. 

Improved Range Of Motion

Contrast therapy works to enhance range of motion in two ways. The cold plunge works to reduce inflammation and enhance joint mobility, while the sauna helps relax muscles and increases suppleness. Doing so can help you have more flexibility and mobility, making your body more able to do workouts with better form. That ultimately lowers your risk of injury and can help enhance overall performance. 

Mental Rejuvenation

The benefits of contrast therapy extend beyond the physical. The unique combination of alternating between cold and hot temperatures can have positive effects on your mental health. Going back and forth between the two extremes helps recharge your mind and emotions. Ultimately, you will think more clearly and benefit from stress reduction, giving you an overall happier disposition. 

Injury Prevention

Pushing yourself during a workout is great, but it can also increase your risk of injury. Contrast therapy positively impacts the body’s connective tissues, the strong network that supports muscles and joints. By strengthening the body’s support system, you can enhance your recovery regimen. Strains, sprains, and other injuries are less likely to occur in people who have stronger, more flexible connective tissues. The reason for that is because they can withstand the demands of training harder.

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Plantar fasciitis is a common foot condition that causes heel pain in one, or sometimes both feet. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), roughly two million people seek treatment for this condition every year. The primary complaint is painful inflammation of the tissue on the bottom of your foot, typically in the heel. In fact, the pain can often be unbearable, making it difficult to walk. 

Symptoms Of Plantar Fasciitis?

The main symptom of plantar fasciitis is a stabbing, severe pain in the heel of the foot, or feet. Typically, the pain presents itself in the first few steps of the day. More often than not, the pain lessens in intensity after the initial few steps, but it can return any time you get up from a seated position and start walking. Plantar fasciitis tends to only affect one foot, starting with mild pain in the heel. 

Do Natural Remedies Work? 

According to several studies, about 90% of plantar fasciitis cases can improve significantly within two months of treatment. Standard treatments include physical therapy and custom-fitted arch supports. When it comes to natural remedies, scientific studies are lacking, but there are many people that swear by them. In fact, natural remedies prove to be a great step (pun intended) in a less painful direction. Consider the following four natural remedies to see if you can avoid surgery and injections.

Wear A Night Splint

A night splint is a foot device that aims to naturally stretch the Achilles tendon while you sleep. These really work best for people who have dealt with the condition for at least six months. In addition to stretching the Achilles, night splints gently stretch arches and calves. You should only wear these splints at night while you sleep, though. One statement claimed that people who wore night splints had a 30-50% reduction in pain after 12 weeks. Some people even saw improvement after just four weeks of wearing night splints!

Apply A Cold Compress

It’s good to get cold feet…if you have plantar fasciitis! Ice works to reduce inflammation and helps to numb the pain. A study from 2013 found that applying a cold wrap to the feet for 20 minutes at bedtime helped reduce planter fascia thickness by 13%. Additionally, the cold wrap helped reduce pain by 44%, which in turn increased the amount of force that each person could apply to the affected foot without pain by 86%. 

Pick Up Marbles With Your Feet

This sounds strange, but you have to think about this remedy as a strengthening tip. When you are able to strengthen your feet, you may be able to prevent foot pain. Stretching is beneficial, but so is picking up marbles with your feet and placing them in a cup. This exercise aims to strengthen the muscles in your feet, which enhances stabilization of the plantar fascia ligament. Not only does this help reduce pain, but it may also improve your overall gait. To perform the exercise, sit in a chair with your feet out in front of you. Scatter some marbles on the ground near your feet and begin picking them up with your toes, one by one, and dropping them in a cup. 

Massage

Massage is always a useful tool to help reduce pain, especially if it involves fascia. Use your thumbs to massage your arches and heels. If you cannot use your hands, you can roll your foot in a very slow manner on a lacrosse ball or tennis ball. Put the ball of your foot on the ball and grab hold of a wall or something stable. Gently apply pressure on the ball of your foot and then slowly roll the arch. You can also use a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENs) device to help relieve pain. Apply the patches to the affected foot and allow the low-voltage electric stimulation to do its job. 

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Many people suffer from heel problems; women more likely than men, simply due to the fact that women wear high heel shoes. Basically, the weight of the body goes down to the feet which over time create a host of health problems and challenges.

Bone Spurs and Plantar Fasciitis are two of the more common heel ailments.

Bone Spur

A common heel problem is “heel spur”, also known as bone spur.

A bone spur is a condition where the sole becomes inflamed at the region of a bony spur or growth off the heel. Common symptoms include foot pain that is exacerbated by activity. A bone spur that develops under the heel usually prevents you from standing for long periods of time. – Lise Bourbeau

Heel spur diagnosis is usually made with an X-ray. The X-ray shows a hook of bone protruding from the bottom of the foot at the point where the plantar fascia is attached to the heel bone.

Many people, including doctors and patients alike, confuse heel (or bone) spur with plantar fasciitis as well as tarsal tunnel syndrome. Though heel spur and plantar fasciitis diagnosis are related, they are not the same in nature.

It should be noted that the heel spur itself is not the primary or chief cause of pain, but rather inflammation and irritation of the plantar fascia. The inflammation and irritation of the plantar fascia is the main thing people want relief from.

Heel spurs form in people who have plantar fasciitis, and tend to occur in people who have had the problem for a prolonged period of time.

Plantar Fasciitis

The plantar fascia is a thick, ligamentous connective tissue that runs from the calcaneus (heel bone) to the ball of the foot. This strong and tight tissue helps maintain the arch of the foot. It is also one of the major transmitters of weight across the foot as you walk or run. That’s why tremendous stress is placed on the plantar fascia.

Plantar fasciitis refers to the inflammation of the plantar fascia which is the tissue that forms the arch of the foot whereas on the other hand a heel spur is a hook of bone that can form on the heel bone, known as ‘calcaneus’ and is merely associated with plantar fasciitis.

It is estimated that nearly 70% of patients with plantar fasciitis have a heel spur that that can be seen on an X-ray. However, many patients without symptoms of pain can have a heel spur.

Heel spurs are very common in people who have a history of foot pain caused by plantar fasciitis. In the setting of plantar fasciitis, heel spurs are most often experienced by and seen in middle-aged people though the condition can be found amongst all age groups.

When a person has plantar fasciitis, the plantar fascia becomes inflamed and degenerative (worn out) and these abnormalities or defects can make normal activities, such as walking, jogging, or running, quite painful. Symptoms typically worsen early in the morning after sleep. At that time, the plantar fascia is tight so even simple movements stretch the contracted plantar fascia. As you begin to loosen the plantar fascia, the pain usually subsides, but often returns with prolonged standing or walking due to the applied stress on the foot.

Healing Heel Problems Naturally

Soak your entire feet in warm water (or hot water if you can stand it) with added sea salt (13-26 ounces) and essential oils of peppermint, spearmint, and/or wintergreen (about 3 drops each). Let feet soak 30 minutes in the evening time or before bedtime. Massage oil into the feet after soaking.

In the alternative to the above, if you have a water ionizer (alkaline water machine), allow your feet to soak in alkaline water for 30 minutes per day (you can add sea salt if you like). The alkaline water will counteract and eventually neutralize the acidity of the heel(s).

If you own an ozone (or oxygen) machine you can ozonate your feet for 45 minutes per day. Insert the foot into a plastic bag, insert the tube from the ozone machine, and then seal the bag around your leg with string or some other strong material (you can even use tape, just shave your legs first). Oxygen is very therapeutic and causes the cells to regenerate.

Wear blue (or sky blue) socks as the color blue emits a soothing and calming frequency plus the color blue is the antidote to the color red which denotes inflammation, burning, and passion.

Get as much rest as possible. Stay off your feet!

Wear only open and comfortable shoes. If you can find magnetic shoe soles to place in the soles of your shoes, we highly recommend giving them a try.

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