Hi again Crystal!
According to Devin Starlanyl's books (if you dont have any of her books get at least one, she is a fibro guru!) cold treatments reduce blood/ lymph flow and thus inflammation. She says ice can lower the pain caused by the muscle tightness by reducing nerve conduction velocity, making it take longer for the pain signals to reach your brain. The downside is that most of us cant tolerate cold. Starlanyl says, "If your pain eases in response to cold, that's often a sign that a nerve is entrapped." (The Fibromyalgia Advocate, p.168)
On the other hand, "heat increases blood flow and the elasticity of connective tissue. It also increases swelling and inflammation. Trigger-points are areas with long-term insufficiency of blood flow. Trigger-points that are causing muscle pain generally respond to moist heat." (TFA, p.169)
So to answer your question, it isnt uncommon to see me with heat packs on my joints and an ice pack on my neck. But in the winter when I ache all over, I lay under an electric blanket and pretend I am at the beach!
