Which is better for recovery: Heat or cold?

I recently had a slight over-training injury. It’s really nothing serious and my recovery is going very well, but there’s a question on my mind…

I’ve read on this forum that using heat to get blood flow to the penis when recovering from an injury is beneficial. But, if there were minor tears in the arteries, wouldn’t it be the opposite of beneficial to apply heat to the over-trained unit? Consequently, more blood would flow out of the minor arterial tears due to the heat and thus make the problem worse. I’d assume that applying an ice-pack would be the best option under the circumstances, as that would minimize blood seeping out of the arteries and consequently lead to more ample recovery.

If your not sure about which to use, then just give it plenty of time.

Try a Google search on ‘heat or cooling for injuries’ where the subject is discussed by various authorities.

The breakdown:

If the injury is recent (think hours) then cold is a good option. Cold keeps the inflammation down, prevents further blood from coming out of the capillaries. Maybe also take an aspirin for the same anti inflammatory purpose, as it will have an effect later.

If the injury is more than a few hours old, heat is a good promoter of healing, as it increases blood flow and oxygenation of the tissue. Try not to be erect though, as that slows blood in the penis down.

So, cold prevents damage, heat heals. Just have to get the order right.

Good luck

It depends on what kind of injury you had - can’t you be more precise?