Reply to an Answer

For me personally, I use ice packs most of the time for just about everything dealing with pain.  My children tease me..."awe, it hurts? get an icepack"...but it works for me.  After trying to mow my small yard Sunday evening, you'd think I had done it with scizzors, on my knees instead of with a mower.  I could barely walk back up the 3 steps into my house.  Of course it was hurting while I was pushing the mower, but I figured I could do it!  After I made my way to the hot bathtub , I added 1/2 a bottle of alcohol to help my muscles relax and soaked for about 20 minutes.  Then I slowly made it to the bed on my icepack (a frozen pack of sausage - 'if it defrosts I'll cook it tomorrow' was my thinking.  I LOST my icepacks or someone 'borrowed' them.  I took a flexoril (muscle relaxer) and a norco for pain (I borrowed from my mom).  After 20 minutes on ice, I switched to heat on medium for about 1 hour then on low for about 30 minutes, then went to sleep.  I was miserable the next a.m. but I HAD to go to work because my co-worker was on vacation.  If she wasn't I'd probably have taken off of work at least 2 days to rest.   I'm still really stiff and hurting when I try to get up out of my chair, but I have to be here.  I'm getting ready to leave to go home and repeat the above so I can make it in tomorrow.  I'm scheduled for an MRI in a week or two so they can see what's hurting so badly in my back and hips.  They already know about the 2 herniated discs but need to look for other deteriation, etc.  ANYWAY....I prefer ice for now ....that's a long story to say that, huh?  Oh well, to each his own.  Everyone is different and we don't always know what's best for our bodies until we try it.    Best of luck to you.  Have you tried hot wax baths for your hands?  I've heard that's really good.  Also, I take generic tylenol arthritis pain relief....2 to 4 per day for pain as needed.   AudreyBee